Unlike with
American Idol and
So You Think You Can Dance, FOX is really hustling through the auditions for
The Next Great American Band. Tonight, in two hours, FOX and the judges pared down the thousands of entries and 60 live auditioning bands to 12 finalists, who will begin performing live on
The Next Great American Band next week. Tonight, we got to see the best and the worst from the sixty semi-finalist bands, all of whom were flown down to the Las Vegas Lake Resort in Nevada. It was an interesting venue for auditions, with the temperature rising well over one hundred degrees at some points. Overall, I was impressed with a fair number of the bands, and am looking forward to the coming weeks. Here's a look at all the relevant bands and how they fared.
Host
Dominic Bowden is from New Zealand and sports the accent.
Ian 'Dicko' Dickson is basically the
Simon Cowell of Australian Idol.
Sheila E. is a sassier
Paula Abdul, who has played with Prince and Ringo Starr.
John Rzeznik is the lead singer of Goo Goo Dolls. These are your three judges. There were a handful of crappy bands sprinkled throughout, but I won't waste your time with them.
The Sizzling, Happy Family
They're going to disband if they don't make it here. This is their last hurrah. They cover The Guess Who's "No Time" and it's pretty good, nothing special though. One dude plays a pretty bad ass guitar solo. The judges love them, but they were pretty gimmicky to me. The guitar player played with a rubber chicken. Dicko gives them the no. Rzeznik gives them the no. Sheila E. is upset about it.
Tres Bien
Dominic calls them a retro band. They play 60's type music, maybe with a little more of a punk edge. They play an original called "You Graceful Soul". They're kind of a Strokes/Hives mix, just more melodic. I'm digging it. All three judges give them a yes, and they're moving on.
Light of Doom
A group of 13-year olds playing heavy metal. Wow. They are actually really good. The song they play is typical bland, derivative hard rock, but they perform the hell out of it. The lead guitar player is out there playing like Eddie Van Halen and the lead singer can bring it. Give these kids ten years and they might be a phenomenon. Dicko says no, concerned with the youth of the group. Sheila says yes, and urges a reluctant John to give the go ahead. He says yes. We'll be seeing more of these kids.
The Hatch
They play a rock cover of "Use Me" by Bill Withers. These guys live in a loft together in New York. It's a slowed-down version, has a nice groove. I don't know about them. But, the judges all give them a yes.
Big Toe
The gimmick here is that the bass player has no arms and plays with his feet. They're a hard rock band and the armless dude was born that way and he drives with his feet, lives normally and is an incredibly likable, upbeat dude. The song they play nothing special, bland, but they play well. It's insane how good the dude is on the bass with his toes. Dicko is honest, and tells them that their music isn't good enough. They get three nos.
CJA
Weird three-piece lady band, featuring a cello (I think), a violin and a keyboard. It was completely awful
The Clark Brothers
Three brothers who have the same family story as Kings of Leon. Three of eleven kids, and their father was a traveling minister. They play "This Little Light of Mine" in a sort alt-country rockabilly sort of way. One of the brothers dominates the slide guitar. As the song gets going, they really get into it. Then, there's an electric violin solo. I wish they'd have played an original song, but that was good. They get three yeses and will be moving on.
The Zombie Bazooka Patrol
They dress up like zombies. That's their thing. And, this performance is bizarre. They perform some pretty awesome folk/alt-country. This might actually be my favorite performance thus far. Sounds like Bright Eyes or something. Why the hell do they dress up like zombies? All three judges give them a yes.
Dot, Dot, Dot
A five person band who performs around five times a week. They have a pretty big following back home in Chicago. They perform a Burt Bacarach cover. I thought it was pretty lame. You know how all those punk covers of pop songs sound exactly the same? It was like that. The judges all give it a yes, much to my chagrin.
Northmont
The band from Dayton, Ohio are very serious. They talk about how this band is make or break for their daughters at home. We'll see. Too bad they aren't very good. They're like a second-rate Nickelback. And, I hate Nickelback. The judges kind of hate their musicianship. Dicko gives them one more shot, tells them to go back, think about what they did, and come back one more time. The bass player made a bunch of mistakes and Sheila called him out. The lead singer starts yelling at people. We'll get back to them later.
The Muggs
The self-proclaimed ugliest band in the world. Tony, the bass player, had a stroke some years back. Doctors didn't think he'd survive. He did, and now plays bass on the keyboard, despite being half-paralyzed. They play some sweet, dirty blues. It's awesome. Each judge s love them, put them through to the next round.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
These guys are of the Big Band variety. They're about a decade too late, for all I'm concerned. Ah, remember the days of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. However, these guys are really good. They'll get employed somewhere, that's for sure. They're sent through to the next round.
Sixwire
These guys describe themselves as edgy country. They were signed once before, had a couple singles, but it never popped, if you will. They kind of rock, in a country sort of way. I don't like traditional country, but I kind of dug this. They had great harmonies, which will always put a band on my good side. Their song, an original, sounds like it could be (or should be) on the radio right now.
Cliff Wagner and the Ol' #7
Some good ol' boys performing some bluegrass. Not bad, nothing special though, considering the genre. Kind of boring for the relative speed of the music. The judges ask for a cover of a good song. They play "Like a Virgin", the bluegrass edition. They play a verse, because that's the only verse the lead singer knew. The tow male judges give them a yes, and they're going through.
Franklin Bridge
Five black dudes from Philly have been playing the club scene back home. They've been friends forever, only been in a band for a few years. They play soul/R&B/rock. They're kind of like Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The song they play isn't great, but it shows off big-time potential. The judges give them HUGE props and they're heading on to the next round.
Rocket
Five piece girl group band from LA. They live together in East Hollywood. They play a Ramones cover. I wouldn't do a cover from a band that was known for their lack of instrument playing ability. This was a by-the-numbers cover. The lead singer is mediocre. But, the judges seem to enjoy it. They're not terrible musicians. The judges put them through to the next round.
Mezcal
A Latin band with a female drummer. Sheila E. gets on stage and starts playing with them. No, that wasn't staged at all. She can still rock. The band was solid, although it's not my kind of music. The judges pass .
Northmont
The only band to get a second chance. They are the last band to perform on the final audition day. They play a different song this time, slower, softer. I'm still not a fan. They are playing better this time, though. All the judges agree that the front man is better than the rest of the band.
At the end of the episode, the top 12 finalists are revealed. They are:
Tres Bien
Light of Doom
The Hatch
The Clark Brothers
Dot Dot Dot
The Muggs
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
Sixwire
Cliff Wagner and the Ol' #7
Franklin Bridge
Rocket
The Likes of You
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)