Unlike the ridiculously epic
American Idol season, in which viewers gain a feel for how America votes, who might be receiving more votes than logic would dictate and so on, on
The Next Great American Band things are rushed. We don't know who the Sanjaya is on
The Next Great American Band (I suspect it's
Light of Doom, but I have no idea). Therefore, we can only count on logic and an attempt at objectivity with the faulty assumption that this is what America will base their votes on. Then again, with the abysmal ratings
American Band is receiving, it's impossible to know who might be a surprise audience favorite. Regardless, this is who I view as the pretenders and contenders on
The Next Great American Band, in as objective a way as possible:
Pretenders:
Light of Doom
Yeah, they were good last week. So what? They are always going to be solid when only doing a cover. But, being in a band requires strong original material, something that Doom does not possess. I like these kids and think if we give them a decade to hone their craft, they could be something special. They're not there yet.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
I know a lot of you love Denver and most of the comments I'll receive below will be people complaining about my take on Denver. Sorry. The truth is that Denver is a party band. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate gigs – this is Denver's future. Big bands haven't been commercially viable in a decade. Denver isn't going to buck that trend.
Tres Bien
I've been on the Tres Bien bandwagon since the beginning inf the season. I love the kind of music they play and, if you gave them a year in the studio, there isn't a group on
American Band whose album I'd rather buy. And they are good live, but not as good as the top tier bands. Tres Bien is too niche and too sloppy to win this thing.
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7
Same thing as Denver. A bluegrass band isn't primed for commercial success.
Contenders:
Dot Dot Dot
When the lead singer doesn't run around like a damn banshee on stage, he actually sounds really good. I couldn't have been more surprised and impressed by their performance last Friday. It came out of nowhere, and signaled their return as a contender on
American Band. The dual chick guitar/bassist set-up is awesome.
Franklin Bridge
They are as good as ever and if it were up to me, I'd crown these guys champions already. I think the lead singer could improve his voice a little bit, but besides that I love them. I will buy (read: illegally download) their album.
The Favorites:
Sixwire
Sixwire is the most polished, radio-ready band around. Not my kind of music, but they are great at what they do. Whether they win or not, they'll be getting radio play by the spring.
The Clark Brothers
OK, I'm on board now. The brothers play the hell out of their instruments. It's a different sound, but it kicks ass and ladies everywhere will eat these guys up. I think they are the odds-on favorite to win it all.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)