The Next Great American Band

The Clark Brothers Win 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:27:23 GMT

On last night's The Next Great American Band finale, The Clark Brothers emerged victorious and won a recording contract with 19 Entertainment as a reward. They beat out other top three finalists Sixwire and Denver and the Mile High Orchestra to take the crown. Impressive all season, The Clark Brothers were known for their incredible musicianship and unparalleled passion during their performances. The Clark Brothers are comprised of Ashley, Austin and Adam, three of eleven children of a traveling minister. They learned to play music while on the road with their father, and they perform a combination of bluegrass, country and rock.

The Next Great American Band: Finale Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:40:12 GMT

The Next Great American Band wrapped up its first and almost certainly final season tonight. The outcome wasn't a huge surprise to anyone who watched the entire season, and it was a fairly well-packaged final hour of TV. I'll tell you one thing – I'm going to miss Dicko. He might be better than Simon Cowell, in that he can be just as acidic with his wit, but he's also less of a curmudgeon. So, if you want to find out the winner of The Next Great American Band, just look below...

The Next Great American Band: Who Should Win?

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:06:17 GMT

Notice the question is “Who should win?” not “Who will win?” Those questions should be one and the same, but with what we've seen from The Next Great American Band's voting audience this year, I really have no idea which band is going to win. None. Since they haven't shown us who the bottom two or bottom three bands have been in the voting at any point this season, there are no informed predictions we can make regarding tomorrow's final outcome. It's between Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Sixwire and The Clark Brothers. Viewers are split, but there is one band that has stood out above all others on The Next Great American Band.

The Next Great American Band: Top 5 Best Performances

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:31:16 GMT

The Next Great American Band, despite the constant criticism from everywhere, had its fair share of good to great performances. The show had a lot of talent flow through its ranks. Unfortunately, these performances were pretty rare. Realistically, the top five performances could all be songs by The Clark Brothers, but I'm going to be fair and limit one song per band on the list. This means that some deserving performances will be left off the list and, just to incite the ever-frisky Denver fans, I have included exactly zero performances by Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. Sorry. I wanted to give Franklin Bridge some love, but after looking back at all The Next Great American Band episodes on which they appeared, I couldn't find one defining performance. Perhaps that's why America gave them the boot.

The Next Great American Band: Top 5 Worst Performances

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:59:44 GMT

Given the quality of The Next Great American Band, I had a lot of performances to choose from for this list. It's sad, but true. The Next Great American Band will go down as a failed experiment, and FOX and company have done all but admit this. A handful of the top 12 bands have no business making the finals of any band competition, let alone a national one. For this list, I allowed myself only one performance per band. Otherwise, it might have been all Rocket performances.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 9 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:58:51 GMT

Tonight was the final competition night on The Next Great American Band, and it's about time. I'm not sure if I've talked to anyone who is truly loving the season of American Band. It's certainly the worst series to come from the American Idol production team. The show has its fair share of talent, and it was a worthy attempt at a new reality show. A reality series for bands is an idea with potential, but it might have been inherently flawed. I can't point to anything about the show's execution that didn't allow the show to live up to its potential. Each of the three final bands performed three songs tonight – one picked by the judges, one picked by FOX, and one picked by the band. Next week sees the final episode of The Next Great American Band.

De-Constructing the Failure of 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:55:03 GMT

Much has been made about the poor ratings received by The Next Great American Band. When the idea for American Band was first announced near the tail end of last season's American Idol, the potential seemed limitless. The Idol team could do no wrong. You had Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent – all big hits in their own right. If it worked with singing, a talent show, and dancing, why wouldn't it work with bands? Then, prior to the beginning of the Fall TV season, FOX announced the time slot for The Next Great American Band: Fridays at 8pm. Fridays are where TV shows go to die. Why would FOX place a big event show by the creators of TV's biggest hit (American Idol) in the worst possible time slot?

The Next Great American Band: Episode 8 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:12:27 GMT

The top four bands performed one original song tonight on The Next Great American Band, along with one Queen cover. Now, the Queen cover would pose problems for any band given Freddie Mercury's almost unparalleled vocal range, but the bands did pretty well with the task, all things considered. The originals, on the other hand, were a big disappointment and point to the real reason these bands have yet to hit pay dirt on their own – their songs aren't all that good. Covering songs well is one thing, writing good songs is a completely different skill.

The Next Great American Band: Thoughts on the Final Five

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:53:32 GMT

Here we are, down to the final five on The Next Great American Band, the most watched network band competition since Rock Star: Supernova. FOX is merely being polite in letting this first and likely only season of American Band finish on the air. We saw the same politeness with last summer's On the Lot, who finished its seemingly unending season despite abysmal ratings. The common thread between American Band and On the Lot? Executive producers with clout (Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett for On the Lot, Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe for Band). 19 Entertainment probably is still holding out hope that the winning band will sell a bunch of records, but that's probably unrealistic. If Jordin Sparks can only sell one hundred thousand records, what chance do The Clark Brothers have?

The Next Great American Band: Episode 7 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:01:26 GMT

Rod Stewart is the man. The final five bands performed Rod Stewart songs tonight on The Next Great American Band, but there was no sign of Maggie Mae, which was unfortunate. I was also hoping for some old school Faces tunes, but no luck. The final five bands have two clear favorites, who both showed off their dominance of the other bands tonight. One of the bands is good, but not good enough. The other two don't really belong.

Conference Call with Sheila E., Judge on 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:57:03 GMT

Sheila E., former drummer for legendary artists like Prince and Ringo Starr, is currently enjoying her latest gig as a judge on FOX's The Next Great American Band. We got a chance to speak with Sheila prior to the season, but that was before the show premiered. Since then, we've seen some great bands, some pretty good bands, and some mediocre bands. Sheila E. was brutally honest in her conference call, especially critical of FOX's handling of The Next Great American Band's promotions. The following is a summary of what Sheila discussed during her lengthy conference call.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 6 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:36:04 GMT

The Next Great American Band went from seven bands to six tonight. The six final bands all performed songs by The Rolling Stones. Given the ridiculous library of diverse songs the Stones have recorded, every band should have been able to easily find a perfect song for them. Most chose well, some did not.

The Next Great American Band - Commercial Appeal, Top 7 Rankings

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:13:05 GMT

Let's not kid ourselves. No matter what Dominic Bowden or the FOX promos tell us, The Next Great American Band has and will continue to be a popularity contest. With so few viewers, the variability from week to week on American Band makes it possible for random outcomes based on highly specific groups of viewers to occur, hence Franklin Bridge's elimination last Friday. However, ultimately, FOX wants the band with the most commercial appeal to win. With something like American Idol, FOX and 19 Entertainment can assume that whoever wins IS the one with most commercial appeal because of the millions and millions of votes that are cast. With American Band, it's quite possible that the winning band will not be the one FOX wanted (unless, of course, they rig the competition). But, for argument's sake, let's take a look at who probably has the most widespread commercial appeal among the remaining seven bands.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 5 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:12:19 GMT

Only one band was kicked off The Next Great American Band tonight. I was under the impression that American Band would be kicking off two bands per week until the very end, but either I was wrong or FOX switched it up. Considering the terrible ratings The Next Great American Band has received, you'd think FOX would want to burn through the series as quickly as possible. I guess not. Tonight, the seven performing bands played songs by legendary song writing duo Lieber and Stoller.

The Next Great American Band: Top 8 Contenders and Pretenders

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:37:26 GMT

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:

The Next Great American Band: Episode 4 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:00:24 GMT

Tonight, on The Next Great American Band, each remaining group played one song. That one song was a Billy Joel cover. It's a little weird that bands won't be judged on one of their originals this week, but that's OK, because Billy Joel was an awesome song writer and we got to hear some of his best tonight. The top eight performed tonight and, now that we're down to an hour, the show went by very quickly. Not much filler, which is great, but it felt a bit rushed. However, two hours is too long for any reality show and I'm happy we're down to an hour. The Next Great American Band is doing the same thing they did last week with eliminations: bands wait back stage until their name is called to perform. The two left at the end of the night were eliminated.

Why is No One Watching 'The Next Great American Band?'

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:43:56 GMT

The Next Great American Band has been an epic ratings failure. The new reality show from the minds of Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe (who brought us American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance) has received CW/On the Lot type numbers in the Nielsens over its first few weeks, certainly far below FOX's expectations. What happened? The Next Great American Band is a carbon copy of Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, only with bands. Who doesn't like bands? America, apparently, and I've got some ideas why.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 3 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:43:49 GMT

The Next Great American Band comes back tonight with its first elimination episode, an event that, according to the sub-par (read: awful) ratings the show has received, is not highly anticipated. Let's get right into it, shall we?

In the green room (the room is literally green) the twelve bands await their fates. Two are going home, which is one more than I thought would be leaving. So, in a way, it makes me happy. The way they're formatting these eliminations is pretty original: no one knows who will be performing when, so the only way bands know they'll be safe is when they are called to perform. The two bands who don't get to perform are eliminated.

Exclusive Interview: Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Judge on 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:25:28 GMT

Ian 'Dicko' Dickson knows his music. A veteran of the music industry for twenty years, Dickson has for small labels, bug labels and has been integral in bringing many bands to the world's attention. Originally from England (where he was friends with American Idol's Simon Cowell), Dicko moved to Australia a few years back and has been a staple on television ever since, most notably as a judge on Australian Idol. His newest gig has brought him, for the first time, to the United States as a judge on FOX's The Next Great American Band. We talked to him earlier this week about his new job, coming out to the States and the pressures of being the “bastard judge.”

Below you will find the written transcript as well as the full mp3 audio of the interview.

The Next Great American Band: The Pretenders, the Contenders, and the Favorites

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:13:24 GMT

We're through two episodes of FOX's The Next Great American Band and we've got a pretty good idea of what each of the finalist bands bring to the table. In fact, I would argue that it's clear who has a chance at winning the whole thing and who is totally out of their league. At first, I thought that FOX had done a respectable job at choosing the finalists, but now I'm not so sure. I refuse to believe that better, more talented, more polished bands didn't send in their tapes. At least three of the finalist bands have no business being in this competition, and only a handful have any sort of star potential. A successful band needs the entire package – technical skill, commercial appeal, songwriting ability, and good performance abilities. After two episodes, it's time to separate the contenders from the pretenders on The Next Great American Band.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 2 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:55:59 GMT

The Next Great American Band, like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, is very simple. No frills on tonight's show, no celebrity guests, no filler. A perfect reality show. The Next Great American Band rolled out its top 12 bands tonight and, quite simply, let them play. Each of the finalist bands, over two hours, played two songs each, one original and one Bob Dylan cover. Yep, the theme tonight was Bob Dylan covers. Some were good, some were all right, a couple were great. Overall, FOX has corralled an impressive group of bands.

Exclusive Interview: Dominic Bowden, Host of 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:14:27 GMT

Dominic Bowden is the Southern Hemisphere's version Ryan Seacrest. Hailing from New Zealand, Bowden was chosen to host the new FOX reality series The Next Great American Band, from the producers of American Idol. This is Bowden's first hosting gig in the States, but back in New Zealand he hosted everything from New Zealand Idol to awards shows to Deal or No Deal to his own radio show. Now on The Next Great American Band, Dominic was kind enough to speak with us yesterday about how he got here and how his experience in America has been so far.

Below you will find the full mp3 audio of the interview.

The Next Great American Band: Top 12 Power Rankings, The Top Six

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:07:21 GMT

The Next Great American Band has provided audiences with twelve different and unique finalist bands. Yesterday, we took a look at the six biggest underdogs remaining in the competition (knowing how these things go, one of them will probably win). Today, we've ranked what we believe are the top six contenders for The Next Great American Band crown. While you may disagree with the rankings we've presented, just know that these rankings are based not just on personal preference, but also on the perceived commercial potential of the finalist bands.

The Next Great American Band: Top 12 Power Rankings, The Bottom Six

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:36:10 GMT

Critical reaction to The Next Great American Band has been decidedly mixed. Fair or not, American Band is constantly being compared to American Idol. Most critics have stated that the show pales in comparison to Idol, but I would argue that American Band's first episode is not nearly enough to make a accurate judgment. It was pretty clear that FOX wanted to speed through the entire audition process. What Idol takes a month to do, The Next Great American Band did in one night. On Friday, we'll get a better sense of what the show is all about. For now, here is the first part of my initial power rankings of the 12 finalist bands.

The Next Great American Band: Episode 1 Recap

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:20:59 GMT

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.

Exclusive Interview: John Rzeznik, of 'The Next Great American Band'

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:07:40 GMT

John Rzeznik has been the lead singer for the Goo Goo Dolls for years, sold millions of records, and played packed houses around the world. His next task: being a judge on FOX's The Next Great American Band. The Next Great American Band premieres tomorrow and Rzeznik, in the interview, gives us a taste of what we can all expect to see. We got to sit down with John one-on-one down in Los Angeles as part of FOX's Fall TV press junket, and the man was kind and extremely well-spoken. It's not often you get to sit down next to a bona fide rock star.

Below you will find the full mp3 audio of the interview.