It's almost time for a new season of
American Idol to begin and for you
dedicated BuddyTV
Idol fans, Ellen DeGeneres won't be the only new
American Idol commentator. With your loyal BuddyTV American Idol writer
Oscar Dahl having moved on, I'll be doing my darndest to fill his big
funny shoes for season 9 of
Idol. It's a challenge I'm ready and
excited for.
So who am I and what are my qualifications for covering
American Idol?
Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Abbey and that photo is me screaming right back at one of my favorite performers making music today, Mark Redding of
The Shackletons. (And loving every minute of it.) Most importantly, as far as I see it, I
was actually born to write about music.
My parents named me after their
favorite Beatles' album and the world famous recording studio, Abbey
Road. From an early age I was enchanted with music. My parents like to
tell stories of me banging away on my high chair to AC/DC as a toddler,
and how I scared them nearly to death at age 10 by telling them I
wanted to follow the Grateful Dead. As long as I can remember I've
spent every extra dime and all of my childhood allowance on cassettes,
cds, vinyl, and concert tickets.
Loyal
BuddyTV readers may know me from my coverage of other shows such as
So
You Think You Can Dance and
America's Next Top Model. But what you
probably don't know is when I'm not at work writing about TV, I'm at
home writing about music. For the past three years I've written a
popular music blog (
Sound on the Sound) about Seattle's vibrant local
music scene, as well as doing freelance music writing and photography
around the Pacific Northwest. You'll find me in the front row of
concerts most nights of the week. For the past three years I've
attended on average four concerts a week, I live and breathe live
music. While I've often chosen live music over
American Idol and I
can't claim
to have watched every season from start to finish, I consider myself a
fan. I tuned in for my weekly dose of Paula and Simon, rejoiced when
Kelly Clarkson took the crown, and sang along when Chris Daughtry
belted out "Hemorrhage."
When it comes to what fills my iPod, my taste runs the gamut. I'm a fan
of singer-songwriters, rock, Americana, hip-hop, punk, blues, and pop.
I admit that I'm more familiar with independent artists found on blogs
like Pitchfork and Stereogum than Billboard's Top 40, but you can find
me shamelessly singing along to former
Idol winners Kelly Clarkson,
Chris Daughtry, and Carrie Underwood. People making my favorite music
of the moment include
The Avett Brothers,
Regina Spektor,
David Bazan,
The National,
The Moondoggies, and
Nurses. All-time favorites include
The Beatles, The Kinks, Johnny Cash, and Radiohead. I'm a huge fan of swooning
harmonies and lyrics that mean something. My favorite vocalists bring a little something unique to the table, so yes, I was a fan of Megan Joy. My favorite
Idol of all time
is the original, Kelly Clarkson -- "Since U Been Gone" is probably my
favorite pop song of the last decade, and my cat goes running every
time the song comes on, because I've occasionally been known to make
her drum along.
I am effusive with my love of music and I can't wait to share that
with you. Together, I hope we'll discover some new favorites during
season 9 of
American Idol. So despite all of the changes, I hope you'll join me this season during
American Idol. To get this beautiful relationship off to the right start and to get to know you all better, I want to know: Who are your favorite musical artists, from
American
Idol or otherwise?
(Photo Courtesy of Trickshot Photography)