In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« The Next Great American Band
Episode Recap: 10 Cut to Eight
Down to one hour this week, we lose the original performance from these bands, which of course brings the show closer to home and follows the proven cover-song format. I have to admit, hearing only covers changed my thoughts of some of these acts. And hearing right up front that one of the artist’s first CD purchase was Billy Joel’s River of Dreams also changed my thoughts that I might still actually be young. His first album was River of Dreams? Wow. My second album was Billy’s An Innocent Man purchased in 1983. As a Billy Joel fan I just can’t imagine that the first purchase of his music was his 15th and final pop release. Crazy, but that’s OK. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Anyway, on to the bands.
Franklin Bridge: “Big Shot”
I can’t believe none of the judges commented on how they flubbed half the lyrics. And this clearly was not them being artistic. This was a singer not remembering what was written on the paper. It’s a shame, too, because I thought the arrangement was pretty good. I was not impressed when the singer started his soloing, though. That sounded very jumbled to me. Not impressed this week, so that makes two weeks in a row of disappointment after a very strong beginning for these guys.
Cliff Wagner & The Old #7: “You May Be Right”
If I didn’t know the song I would have sworn it was a bluegrass original. Great choice of songs and awesome arrangement made it fit right into their style. Not only that, but these guys seem to be having a lot of fun with this. Every week they make it through here on out, I’ll be shocked. But they deserve it, totally.
Denver & the Mile High Orchestra: “Tell Her About It”
Another perfect song choice and an obvious one since there are a lot of horns in the original and they wouldn’t have to mess with the basic rhythm too much. I’m not really arguing here, but why did they get almost triple the time Cliff Wagner did? They got a very good chance to showcase themselves this week and probably turned in their best performance.
Dot Dot Dot: “Pressure”
For the past two weeks I’ve been saying that if Dot Dot Dot were any good, I’d be sure to give them props. Well, here it is. This week they were awesome! “Pressure” suited their retro, new-wave style very well, and the singer sounded really good for a change. This is the first week I’ve actually enjoyed them. I’m not ready to jump on their boat just yet, but this week at least proved to me they have some talent.
Sixwire: “She’s Always a Woman”
This sounded dreadful to me. I thought it was a bad arrangement with way too much going on in the song. I wonder if Dicko has ever listened to the song, though. Sixwire’s interpretation of the lyrics was right on the mark and I thought it made Dicko look kind of silly.
Tres Bien: “Movin’ Out”
Actually, I’m still not sure about this one. I was a little thrown off by the slowed-down tempo at first. Then I went back and listened to it and I kind of dug it. But it wasn’t anything special. The change in pace of the whole thing is really confusing my brain. It doesn’t take much, I know.
The Clark Brothers: “She’s Got a Way”
This is the first week I’ve really liked these guys. This was a good song choice for them. I don’t necessarily agree with the judges' comment that they were the first ones of the night to totally own the song, but I agree that they were very good. I liked seeing their slower side, rather than the crazy pace they usually play. As a general rule I love the sound of the slide guitar, and this really showcased that.
Light of Doom: “The Stranger”
Totally unrecognizable. I was looking forward to see what they would do with Billy Joel and it turned out interesting. I think they did the right thing. The only person who really had to learn the song was the singer. The rest of the band came up with their own music for it. And what’s weird about that is that this sounded the most modern of anything they’ve done so far. Though I really wish the guitarist would quit the leg kick and the tossing of the guitar — it’s just so clichéd. I wish they would all just stand still, play their music and maybe do a little headbanging if they need to. Just stop trying to be everything that’s cheesy about classic metal. The singer did sound OK this week, though, so it was better than previous weeks, but still not the best.
The Muggs and Rocket are out. Did you see the Muggs backstage at the end? Clearly they knew they weren’t making it and didn’t really care. But it still must be so humiliating for both of them to be in a room with 10 year olds and lose to them. It’s cruel for the show to leave the kids in the room to the end. If I were Rocket, I’d quit right now. Sexy ladies can’t beat six kids. That’s a big flashing neon sign saying, “Quit.” I guess the show learned from the debacle of last week and didn’t let the exiting bands say anything.
So tonight my vote goes to the Clark Brothers with Dot Dot Dot and Cliff Wagner tied for a close second. Tough call on who goes home because none were clearly made to leave. I think Franklin Bridge could be in trouble, but I don’t think they will go yet. I have to think this will be Light of Doom’s last week on this show.
Until next week, friends.
Check out clips from American Band in our Online Video Guide.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 10:43 PM
|
|
Well the show just keeps getting worse. Oh Debbie by the way, your band Sixwire actually sounded awful tonight. If they win, then the rumors are true that their audition tape was carried in the back door by Randy Jackson via Guitarist Steve Mandile, then the show will be a real joke. The talent is The Clark Brothers. Stripped down true talent no one holds a candle. We shall see next week.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 12:24 AM
|
Hello to you too, nashscott66, your sour grapes are showing. I'd love to know your history with Sixwire, must be painful.
I missed the bands doing an original this week. I think that added a deeper dimension to the show.
Did the judges seem to be on Dramamine this week? Could John say 'really' anymore and could Sheila 'love' many more people? Even Dicko was, in his own words, dreary.
Franklin Bridge - The first few notes were promising, but what has happened to this man's gorgeous voice? I think maybe he's trying to hard to make his vocals sound challenging or something. Whatever it is isn't working. The band sounded choppy too. I'm not sure what the judges were hearing.
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 - That was fantastic, the perfect song choice. It would have been the best of the night had they just picked it up a little in spots.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - When these guys take the stage, it is an event. I still wish Denver's voice was just a bit stronger, but regardless, they are awesome.
Dot Dot Dot - I like that he just sung the song and didn't push it. They stepped it up this week.
Sixwire - I guess our definition of 'awful' and 'dreadful' are different. I thought their harmonies were, as always, gorgeous. I do think they picked a safe song. I would have preferred they pick something that would have challenged them more. I was holding my breath hoping they'd sing 'Until the Night.'
Tres Bien! – He didn’t listen to the judges last week. His energy is far better without the guitar and covers his lack of vocal strength. Nothing really stood out about their performance to me this week.
The Clark Brothers – These boys are amazing. Their talent just oozes off of them. I love that they just bring simple, pure, musical ability to the show.
The Light of Doom – It just sounded like noise and looked like hair to me.
My pick to go home next week would have to be The Light of Doom. If they continue sending two bands home, my second choice would be Tres Bien!
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 1:18 AM
|
Hi David, what's up with the ratings on this show? Why are they so bad? The only thing I can think of is the night choice--Friday is just bad.
I guess that's why they cut it down to one hour and eliminated the original songs. Maybe it's a better formula, but I miss the original songs. To me, the true test of a band is whether they can write good songs.
Loved that they picked Billy Joel! He is a fav of mine. And no, I'm not going to tell you the first Billy Joel album I bought.
Franklin Bridge: Awful! I also noticed that the singer forgot the words (something that can't be forgiven), and his voice was terrible. Did he stay up all night partying? Sure sounded like it. And I agree with Sheila--cocky is exactly the word I'd choose.
Cliff Wagner: What can I say? Love these guys. Good sense of humor, and they really made the song their own. I hope they stick around.
Denver: Awww! Loved the shots of him and his baby! Yes, I'm a sucker for babies. They picked a great song and performed it very well. However, I want Denver to go back to wearing red. It helps him to stand out from the crowd of the band, and I miss it.
Dot Dot Dot: I said this guy had a good voice if he just settled down, and this proves it. Very well done, and like John said, I loved the guitarist too.
Sixwire: Here we disagree. While I was disappointed in the song choice, I thought they did a pretty good job. But I think they need to give us a more energetic performance from now on, if they want to go all the way. Loved the singer's comeback to Dicko.
Tres Bien: Not a good song choice. I was really surprised. I thought for sure they'd pick 'Uptown Girl' or something similar. Maybe they wanted to show a little variety, but I think it backfired.
The Clark Brothers: Loved their performance, love them. To me, they're the band to beat. Dicko was right when he said they bring emotion to all of their performances. They got almost all of my votes.
Light of Doom: Another strange song choice, pardon the pun. I was expecting 'Only the Good Die Young'. And again the song choice backfired. Like you said, totally unrecognizable. These guys just don't have the maturity to pull this off. I'd like to see them in 5 years or so, but for now, it's their time to go.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 2:47 AM
|
earthgirl - yeah, you have to be disappointed in the ratings. I mean, they are doing worse than the CW. I don't think any night would help them get great ratings, but putting it on Friday is absolutely a big part of the problem. One of the posters in the first week said it. Why not go out and see a live band than watch them on TV? (I don't buy that completely since you can leave the house by 9E/8C and still catch something good - but you get my point). I can't picture this being cancelled mid-season, but if this was anything but reality it would have never made it past last week.
Personally, I really enjoy the show. Nashcott66- I don't really agree with you that it got worse. I did like hearing originals so from a fans point I'm a little disappointed. But, if the producers have any hope of getting any ratings for the rest of the season and/or continuing this into a season 2 then they had no choice but to mimic the proven format of AI. What they were doing for the first three weeks didn't get any viewers, so the show doesn't really lose anything by switching it up. I mean, how could ratings get worse?
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 8:37 AM
|
I also couldn't believe that none of the judges didn't point out that Franklin Bridge messed up the lyrics.I was disappointed with them.
Tres Bien and Light Of Doom were also not that good last night.
The Clark Brothers were amazing!I voted for them and for Sixwire.
Dot Dot Dot were actually decent as were Denver and the mile high orchestra.Cliff Wagner & the old #7 are a bunch of nice guys but they weren't great last night.I hope the Clark Brothers or Sixwire win..but this show really hasn't been very good oveall.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 9:56 AM
|
|
STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! I completely forgot this was on last night and watched the Abominable Dr. Phibes which is a totally campy classic, but still. I missed Billy Joel night! I love Billy Joel, why, why, why am I such an idiot? OK, rant done. So glad I got to read your recap David, it almost made up for my stupidity. At least I can listen to the performances online later. Thrilled that I won't have to listen to the horrid singer from the Muggs any longer and don't care one way or the other about Rocket so buh bye.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 10:56 AM
|
Last week I predicted it would be The Muggs and Dot Dot Dot going, with maybe Rocket replacing one of those 2. Well, I got it right I suppose. Rocket just plain sucked, and The Muggs need a better singer and clearly seemed to be trying to get booted. I wasn't able to make it to the legendary local bar the lead singer bartends at last night, and I'm glad because it probably was a downer to the patrons. I hope they continue to play in the area and do well, but they really need to get a real singer.
Franklin Bridge - Terrible. How come nobody ragged on him messing up the lyrics SEVERAL TIMES!?! Their worst performance yet. Even the background singing was, once again, off key and annoying.
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 - Perfect song choice, but they shouldn't have slowed it down. They should have done it in an uptempo, bluegrass way instead of slooooowing it down so much.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - Perfect song choice, nearly flawless performance.
Dot Dot Dot - Wow, I didn't expect them to sing this song (I thought LoD would.) They did a very good job and the singer sounded his best ever here. If they've survived so far, then they should survive this week.
Sixwire - Hated it. I thought they'd do Shameless which Garth Brooks covered, so I'll give them props for not doing the obvious. That said, I didn't think it was all that good. The singer seemed to be sleepwalking and the band sounded bored.
Tres Bien! – WTF? I thought they'd do one of Billy's 60ish songs like Uptown Girl or The Longest Time. They could be in real trouble.
The Clark Brothers – Clearly the best singer and clearly the most talented instrumentalists. I wasn't that impressed, I actually found it a little dull for them, but the singer's voice carried them regardless.
The Light of Doom – I thought they sounded really good. I never would have expected them to perform The Stranger. The band pretty much played whatever they wanted, which is fine. There are 2 ways to do a cover...a remake or a rework into your own style. I thought the singer clearly worked on his vocals and the band was pretty tight. Make him the lead singer of The Muggs or Rocket, and suddenly those bands are much better. Not the best performance of the night, but they should survive.
If the votes were honest and based on last night, Tres Bien and Franklin Bridge would be going with Sixwire the darkhorse eviction. At this point, I have no idea who will be going because I don't know who is really popular with the voters. I think FB and 6wire are both popular and will survive, so Tres Bien will most likely go. After that, it's a crap shoot that might find LoD in the crosshairs.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 11:06 AM
|
No more Muggs and Rocket. That guy in the Muggs...just ewwwwww. Don't like anything about him.
Tonight one of my all time favorites: Billy Joel. I can't remember when I bought my first Billy Joel CD, then called an album, but I've liked him from even before The Piano Man.
Billy Joel has so many songs out there, I was kind of disappointed in some of the song choices.
But here I go:
FRANKLIN BRIDGE: Big Shot
Oy veh. I just don't like this band. If that's what toning it down was then color me confused. Don't like the band's style nor the lead's voice as I've said over and over. They do nothing for me. And yes...the lead forgot the words. Ugh. Just ugh.
CLIFF WAGNOR AND THE OLD NUMBER 7: You May Be Right
I guess I'm the only one not loving these guys but I don't. Their attitude on the video turned me off completely. And I felt they took the wrong song and put absolutely no effort into it. It seemed to me they went eeny, meeny miny moe....and got the song that way. The only positive thing I can say is that they made the song their own...although to me that was akin to kidnapping. I kind of felt like I was listening to Gene Autry heading out into the sunset. Or was it Roy Rogers? Or Tex Ritter? Pick a cowboy any cowboy.
DENVER AND THE MILE HIGH ORCHESTRA: Tell Her About It
Not my favorite Billy Joel song by a long shot, but...I'm starting to love this band. I love their energy and their sound.
DOT DOT DOT: Pressure
I really love these guys. I don't know why, but I do. I just like Adam, their lead singer and I think they did this song absolutely on the money.
SIXWIRE: She's Always A Woman
I thought Andy, the lead sang the song in a very heartfelt manner, but I think there may have been a better song. I'm agreeing with whoever said Shameless would have been a good choice. And more than that, I absolutely love that song too. As good as they were vocally and musically, they didn't do anything differently. I think the ending harmonies were awesome though and I can definitely see SixWire becoming a huge hit in Country music. As to DickO's interpretation of this song..on what planet does he live??
TRES BIEN: Moving Out
Doesn't the drummer look like Barry Livingston aka Ernie from My Three Sons??
I really like these guys too and unlike Dicko liked the way they performed the song although I do feel that the lead could have put a bit more too it. I hope they don't leave next week. I agree the Uptown Girl would have been a perfect choice, but perhaps they wanted to try something different. I didn't think it was all that bad. Debbie, I don't recall that he used the guitar this week, I'll have to rewind to double check.
THE CLARK BROTHERS: She's Got A Way
I thought the lead sang this beautifully. I really liked what they did with this song.
LIGHT OF DOOM: The Stranger
Actually I was pleased that this was the band that came back this week as opposed to the two who left. While their music is not mine, I think these kids are incredible and they performed and have been performing songs from people that they've more than likely only heard their parents speak about...and that's a big maybe...remarkably. I'm really impressed with these guys.
I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope that it's Cliff Wagonor and Franklin Bridge, who depart next week, but I am thinking with the critique given by Dick O, it may be Tres Bien. Although they panned Dot Dot Dot and they're still here.
Before the last band was announced, when they showed all three groups who were left, it appeared, from the cheers eminating from the audience, that LOD was an audience favorite, but maybe their parents just scream louder than whoever, if anyone, was there to support The Muggs and Rocket. When they got to the The Muggs, it sounded like maybe two people applauded.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 12:56 PM
|
|
fyi: from this point on only one band goes home.
|
|
Nov 10, 2007 4:03 PM
|
|
I went back and watched Tres Bien. Debbie, you're right. Michael didn't listen. Perhaps he should have. I happen to really like them though. The more I see them, the more I like them. I honestly don't know if there's a market for them in this world, as it doesn't seem there's a market for pop singers period. But...I can see them as an opening act, one which I would definitely go see perform.
|
|
Nov 11, 2007 2:03 PM
|
|
Hey nashscot66, I just read over all of your posts and all you do is attack Sixwire. What do you have against them?
|
|
Nov 11, 2007 9:32 PM
|
|
See I told you they were good and you did give them credit.They really are pulling it out .And i think six wire and the light of doom should go next.And thanks for giving them kudos.
|
|
Nov 12, 2007 9:59 AM
|
|
Im not totally against Sixwire, but against a band being in because of their past. They are by far the best musicians on the show and in Nashville. They struggled out of the box with Warner Brothers. The did not want any outside songs or producers and the label dropped them. I work in the industry and can tell you that if they had another lead singer they would be signed tomorrow. Andy is a great lounge singer and corporate singer, where he should be. You wait and see in the end who s right. I assure you that they will not be on the level of Rascal Flatts or Kenny Chesney. They may have another song on radio and another video but this show will not advance them any further to being country stars. Franklin Bridge let me down a little, talented though. DotDotDot I think will be a front runner, the young audience seems to like them. Clark Bros-should win it hands down. Sorry if I seem to be on a Sixwire bash but you can ask any one in Nashville about these guys and you see what is their thoughts. Hope the show doesnt continue to drop ratings. The phone lines are never busy which tells you that not many are watching, if you have ever called. AI you cant get through that easy. Until next time. Lets here from you. Thanks David for all your reviews, appreciated greatly.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 6:26 PM
|
|
|
