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« The Next Great American Band
Episode Recap: Top 7 Perform
This is a week that I have a tough time relating to. Born in ’76, I never really got the full impact of '60s music and never heard enough that excited me to make me want to go back and visit it. I know this sounds strange coming from a guy that found enough stuff exciting to own 4,000+ pieces of audio from the '80s, which is arguably the worst decade for music. (At least I know El DeBarge and Taco would be on my side of the debate). So a song like "Some Other Guy" is almost like listening to an original for me. Fortunately though, Leiber and Stoller wrote a lot of great tunes that were covered by a mess of bands, so I’m sure I can say I’ve heard most.
Side note: Many of the artists I will type as the performer of the songs really aren’t the original performers and I know that. But the artists I type are the versions that I remember as the hits. In a lot of cases, the original Leiber and Stoller song was performed by a soul group to little fanfare and then turned into a massive hit a few years later by a pop group (and those are the ones we know).
So... I’m not completely shocked Franklin Bridge went home. I mentioned last week how I thought they would be in trouble, but I expected their style to push them through a little bit longer. I’d really like to see the demographic watching this show. I’ve searched for the lowdown, but I guess when your ratings are so low, it’s hard to really break down who’s watching. But I’d like to see if it’s 30-year-old women from Nashville or 17 year-old-kids from NYC. That, to me, would give great insight as to who’s going to win this show. I do wonder, too, how much of a stretch Dominic Bowden was making when he talked about millions of votes. Millions over the course of the entire season? That I can see. But if he’s talking millions just last week, then I have to think he’s lying. Or Light of Doom’s parents are really pounding those phone lines. If anyone has seen some kind of official demographic of viewership for this, please post it.
Personally, I was hoping I would never have to hear Light of Doom again, but instead I get them opening the show. I don’t blame them for picking something very generic like Elvis’ "Jailhouse Rock." It’s tough for me at 31 to relate to many of these songs, so what must it feel like to be 12 and have to choose one of these? Now, if they don’t know Rolling Stones songs next week, then we have a problem. But even with song choices far out of their realm, I thought these guys were good. The guitar solo actually kind of rocked and they did pick an easy enough song that the entire world can sing along to. Safe choice but that will pay off this week. You know, I haven’t said anything up until this point, but I can’t let it go any longer: Can some stylist please get rid of Lucas’ unibrow? Sheila E. said something about the singer being a role model and not cursing. When did he curse? In the video or the song? Either way, I was paying attention and still missed it. Help me on this one.
When the Clark Brothers first started with "Saved," I wasn’t that excited with watching what seemed like unstructured, chaotic playing, but about halfway through I couldn’t help but love what I saw. This was the first time I’ve really seen a lot of energy from the singer and that did it for me. I’m trying to picture this performance in my head right now and I just can’t see anything but the vocals. He carried this one tonight and that’s perfectly fine. That’s what a lead is supposed to do.
Is it me or did John sound like a total idiot on this one when he asked them, "why do you hate drummers?" I mean, I’ve said before that I think I would like them more with a drummer, but John’s statement sounds like he’s saying, "why does your drummer always sit backstage playing Guitar Hero instead of performing." Buddy, listen. They can’t just bring a drummer out when there’s no drummer in the band. Logically, the comment made no sense. And then he had to backtrack so he didn’t offend Sheila E., then said she was the only singing drummer. Somewhere Phil Collins is returning his Goo Goo Dolls greatest-hits disc for that insult. Phew.
For the first time I'm not surprised Dot Dot Dot is performing again. I still think there are at least three bands in this competition more talented than them, but I’m starting to get the feeling that they will be one of the last two standing. They are one of the reasons I’d like to see the audience that’s watching. If they are in the 17-24 range, then Dot Dot Dot is really the only band right up their alley. I definitely am changing my tune about these guys a bit. The Searchers' "Love Potion #9" was a good choice of songs. Lighthearted and kind of silly, like these guys. Dicko was right that they have had two really good weeks in a row. I am, however, getting sick and tired of how John and Sheila feel the need to point out how the women are "real artists." Of course they’re real artists. Why does it always have to be a male/female thing? I never hear Sheila telling the third horn player in Denver that he’s a real artist.
The video that was shot for Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 was pretty funny. Apparently it’s Cliffy and those other guys (but in a friendly sort of way). I didn’t quite get the judges again tonight on a lot of things they said — especially with these guys. I thought their cover of The Coasters' "Poison Ivy" was remarkable. I loved that they stayed within their genre but still took a bit of the bluegrass out of this one. The tones were incredible and Dicko must be blind/deaf if he thought that was a lazy performance. I’m making it official tonight: Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 are my favorite band on this show!
I also love Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, but in this case I actually wholeheartedly agree with the judges. Everyone in the band has so much energy, except for Denver. It’s actually been like this for the entire show. The horns rock the joint and Denver just sort of stands there and sings. The frontman for this type of band needs to really move around, get animated, or really needs to pick up a horn and play with his band when he’s not singing. I, too, am a white boy who loves funk music and the horn section really takes me back to the early '80s funk that I love. I know after they played funk in Week 2, I said they needed to pick a genre and stay there — but not if they play like this. Apart from Denver, the rest of the band and their performance was awesome. This past week, I went to iTunes and listened to snippets of every song from their two albums and frankly, both of those albums sound very flat to me. This is a live band, not studio musicians, and I really think they would make a great living performing cover songs in swanky Vegas hotels.
Right after these two great performances, we get a stinker in Sixwire. Michael McDonald is certainly one of my 10 favorite vocalists of all time, and "I Keep Forgettin'" is a favorite of mine. Maybe that’s why I hated the bad harmonies and the poor guitar tone so much. Michael just has so much soul in his voice and Sixwire is not a soulful group. They could have gone back to the original from the '60s and tried that if they really wanted to do this song, but both the Chuck Jackson and Checkmates Ltd. versions are way different than Michael’s.
Finally, we have Tres Bien performing "Some Other Guy." Help me out with who did the popular version of this one as I'd like to hear it, and according to my research, it could be any number of bands. Doesn’t matter what I know, though, as this is about Tres Bien. The Leiber and Stoller sound plays right into their look and their style so they should have blown this right out of the water. Well, they didn’t. There was nothing wrong per se, but nothing that stands out either. Kind of a ho-hum performance in my eyes.
One final note before I go. I still like the format of this show, but the end is getting a little weird now. It’s pretty awkward to announce the last band to come up to the stage and then just watch the other dejected band. But the worst part is that it takes a lot of steam out of the sails of the band that did make it. It’s like "oh, Franklin Bridge was great but right now here’s that other band that took your spot." That’s not really right to do to Tres Bien.
Once again, I'm going to cast my vote for the band I thought was the best of the night, so for the second time now it's Cliff Wagner for me. If it were my choice, I'd send Sixwire home. I haven't quite predicted one correctly yet, but mark my words this time! Next week Denver goes home.
As usual, let me know what you thought about the bands and check out clips in our Online Video Guide.
Until next week, friends....
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Nov 16, 2007 11:17 PM
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Okay, so what's up with the sexy singles ad with three pictures of women in the their bras? I guess that gives me an idea of who they think is watching this show.
So I'm officially coming out. I'm one of those housewives that Dicko spoke of, married with 2 kids and damn proud of it. (I'm also a writer, but most people consider that to be the same as a housewife.) So unless the ad is SELLING bras, can we please ditch it?
I'd say enough with the ranting, but I have yet to talk about the show. VERY disappointing. Almost all of the bands did not put on their 'A' performance, and that's what you have to do to stay on this show.
Light of Doom - I was so upset that they were still on the show, even more so after they performed, that I swore I was going to vote for every other band but them. Then I heard the other bands. Still this band sounds the same every week. They need to go.
Clark Brothers - Ashley has an amazing voice! They did it again. Another amazing performance. They are the only consistently good band on this show. They got about 98% of my votes.
I agree with you about John's comment--totally lame. And we didn't get to hear why they don't think they need a drummer. I'm not saying they do; I'm just curious.
Dot Dot Dot - Another good performance. Who knew? I think they'll stick around too, and I gave them my remaining 2% votes.
Cliff Wagner - You know, I really like this band. They really have the toughest job of all the bands trying to adapt the music to their style. But I have to agree with the judges--I wanted more energy.
Denver - I'm glad that he wore a red shirt. I think it's a great compromise from totally blending in and the red suit. Bravo to Denver for that. That said however his voice just doesn't cut it. It's a standard one-note voice (yelling) with no emotion or subtlety. The band is great though.
Sixwire - Thanks for the shoutout to Michael McDonald! I absolutely LOVE his voice and would put him up there with one of the all-time best as well. But Sixwire's version was simply boring.
Tres Bien - The lead singer should take lessons from Dot Dot Dot's lead singer and not move around so much. He sounds out-of-breath, and he shouts. Again, I like the band, but the lead singer lets them down.
I was surprised that Franklin Bridge went home. I was sure it was going to be Tres Bien. I keep thinking it's going to come down to the family and friends vote, which probably means that Light of Doom will win.
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Nov 17, 2007 1:37 AM
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The cussing may have been at the end of the song. The singer sang, Jailhouse..................rock!" I think the pause was intentional, but listening back to it, the pause seemed a bit long, and the audio did seem to fade slightly. So, maybe he said, jailhouse f-ing rock? The only other thing might be in the video before their song, it was said that the singer is always mad and they showed him saying "Hell." So, it's one or the other, but someone who was there live would have to say, or Sheila E would have to explain herself.
I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure John's comment about hating drummers was a joke. In the video at the start of the show when the bands were talking about learning the songs for this week, one of the Clark boys said that people might find the song weird without a drummer. So, they went out and performed without a drummer like always. Then John made his joke. Maybe it wasn't a very good joke, but that's how I took it. He wasn't seriously wondering why they don't like drummers. As for Franklin Bridge, I wrote last week that I thought if the fans were honest that either FB or Tres Bien would go. I HOPE nobody makes a big deal out of this and makes it racial. Of course, if the ratings aren't very good, then maybe not. If this had American Idol like ratings, it could easily happen. I'm sorry, I like LoD. I thought they did the song well, the singer has been performing better, and the guitar solo rocked. For whatever reason, John and Sheila keep pointing out the women from Dot Dot Dot are "real artists" which seems condescending, but compare the 2 guitar solos and the 13 year old's was FAR superior. Like I wrote last week with Dot Dot Dot, if they've survived so far, this week's performance should keep them in another week. I was kinda bored with the Clark Bros at the start, but the singer really pulled it out in the end. Nice job. I also agree with the judges that DDD has improved each week. The song was a good choice for them and they did a decent job with it. Again, if they've hung on so far, nothing happened to send them home. I also liked Cliff and Old #7's performance. I'm a little surprised they did this song, but I liked the way they looked tonight, and I thought they did a good job. It may have been a little weak compared to when they've done their originals in the past, but they should remain. Denver and pals could be in trouble. It just wasn't very good tonight, and they're schtick is getting old. Sixwire flat out sucked. I loved Michael McDonald's version of this song, and this was nowhere near as good. Not only not in the ball park, but not in the same area code. I'm sure they'll stick around but honestly, after this performance, this one time signed band should go. Terrible. I think Tres Bien and DDD have traded places. While DDD has gotten better, TB has gotten worse. They were ok, but again just meh. I think the three bands in the most trouble are Tres Bien, Denver, and Sixwire. Based on tonight, 6Wire should go. Based on possible demographics of the show, I'm going to predict Tres Bien goes. And lay off Light of Doom already, they're holding their own and have real talent. I still say they won't make the finals or win unless people are just voting for them for the fun of it because they're kids. If the demo on this show is mostly young people under 25, then they COULD win in a lark. If the demo is women, Sixwire and Clark Bros are in the finals. If the demo is rednecks, Old # 7 and Sixwire could be battling it out in the end.
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Nov 17, 2007 6:14 AM
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I guess I'm in the minority, but I didn't think Sixwire was all that bad. (And I watched more than once because I taped the show.) Were they as good as when they sang their original, "Good to be Back"? a few weeks ago? No. But they're still head and shoulders above some of the other bands, in my opinion. And, after the judges' critique, I'm sure they'll come back in full force next week. (And, yes, I think they'll be voted thru.)
Light of Doom and Dot Dot Dot have both improved, but are not "there" yet. And I agree with others' comments that LoD's guitarist shreds compared to DDDs. My husband and I are just not impressed with Rose.
I enjoyed Cliff Wagner & Old #7, and don't think they're performance was "lazy" as Dicko called it. I think Cliff has a unique voice that engages me whenever he sings.
But if we're talking about the best vocals on the show, you've got to give it to Ashley of the Clark Brothers. He makes you believe every word he sings. I LOVED their performance tonight and think overall they are the most consistent band in the competition. I see them as a male version of the Dixie Chicks who will have a huge career after this is over. They are extremely talented and, even more important, very marketable. Especially to young females.
I think Denver & the MHO is in trouble this week. They're great musicians, but Denver himself is only an average singer. He doesn't have the qualities in his vocals such as other great band leaders like Harry Connick or Michael Buble. Honestly, I think what the band needs to color up their performances is a female vocalist. I don't mean that they need to replace Denver. I think they need to pair him up with a lady who can take more of a lead, leaving him to play trumpet more often. Regardless, I think this band can survive booking live gigs with corporations and/or in Vegas (where I live.) But they may be going home next week.
I was kind of surprised that Franklin Bridge was sent home before Tres Bien because FB is certainly a stronger band in terms of musicianship. They have incredible energy on stage, which is very exciting for those in the live audience. But, truth be told, I didn't like any of their original songs and I felt that the lead singer leaned more towards arrogance than confidence. Did you see his reaction when they announced Tres Bien was going through instead of FB? He was SHOCKED, like he hadn't even considered that was a possibility. The other FB band members were really cool about it though.
Tres Bien chose their cover song well, but I do think the lead singer needs to focus more on his vocals. They're too "loose." He's got a nice tone to his voice, but he could use a few singing lessons, like Adam of DDD.
Overall, I think this comes down to who can sell CDs. Who is going to sound good on a CD in addition to giving a great live performance? Of all twelve finalists, I think the bands with the best chance at success are Sixwire and the Clark Brothers. If either of them wins, I will be very happy.
And for those who've pointed out that Sixwire was signed before, as my husband likes to remind me, "timing is everything." That may not have been there time. Maybe their time is now.
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Nov 17, 2007 7:35 AM
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I was shocked that Franklin Bridge was the band to leave last night.
Light Of Doom - They will make it until the final 3 or 4 because a large majority of people watching television on Friday nights at 8 are pre-teens.
Dot Dot Dot-Keeps getting better.Their style of music isn't what I prefer,but I do appreciate what they've accomplished and have thrown a vote or two their way.
Cliff Wagner & the Old #7-I think Cliff is becoming full of himself.He introduced the band as just Cliff Wagner.The musicians in the group and their folksy-dry sense of humor is what makes this band.Cliff,your vocals stink.
Sixwire-Probably not the best song choice last night but clearly this band is the most commerical of the bunch.Solid lead singer and the band is very techincally sound.They get about half my votes each week.
Tres Bien-Is the weakest of the bunch.This is the kind of band that should play college keg parties.Sheila E. was right about them having their own Saturday morning cartoon show.
Denver & the mile high orchestra-Denver is smaltzy...his voice is thin and cheesy but the orchestra rocks!
The Clark Brothers-They have the best lead vocalist in Ashley and the brothers are extremely talented musicans.The Clark Brothers deserve to make it to the finals.They get half my votes.
The real question is will any of these bands "make" it when this show is only watch by about 3 million people?
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Nov 17, 2007 8:41 AM
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I wasn't surprised that Franklin Bridge went home but I was disappointed. They haven't been at the top of their game the past two weeks but they are still so much better than most of the remaining bands. But let's face it, anyone who is watching this show and can tolerate Light of Doom is not going to like Franklin Bridge. Not to pick on children, but I cannot STAND LOD. They have fabulous hair - I even thought of bringing a picture to my hair stylist of the lead and saying THAT is the color I want! But, please, metal is soooo out and they aren't even good at it! Let them make them a CD so that their family and junior high school buddies can buy it and send them back to school!
My favs are Clark Brothers, Sixwire and Tres Bien. I was kind of hoping this show would be as good as RockStar but it is more like Star Search which isn't that exciting....
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Nov 17, 2007 9:01 AM
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Not surprised Franklin Bridge was eliminated. I never liked them.
Light of Doom tonight was the best band. I loved what they did with Jailhouse Rock. I'm always impressed with these kids even if I don't always like their music.
The Clark Brothers sang Save, a song I'm not familiar with. Why do I always feel like lifting my hands and yelling "hallelujah" when they sing? Because they make me feel like I'm at a Revival Meeting. And to me, that's a limited group of people that they cater to. They are good, I'll give them that, but their not my cup of tea.
Dot Dot Dot sang Love Potion #9. made famous in the 50s by The Clovers and revived by The Searchers in the 60s. Great song choice, really good and fun performance. They're getting better and I really like this band.
Cliff Wagoner and The Old #7 sang Poison Ivy made popular by The Coasters and in my opinion really safe, dull and boring. I can only take so much of this band. They don't seem to put any effort into taking a risk and to me it puts me to sleep. They need to find a nice County Fair to play at.
Denver and The Mile High Orchestra sang Ruby Baby made popular by Dion. I liked the way the song built but I do agree that Denver needs to showcase himself more. I like this group. One of my favorites.
SixWire sang I Keep Forgetting made popular by Michael McDonald. I'm not a big MM fan, but nevertheless SixWire just did not do justice to this or do anything to make me a believer. I think they play it safe week after week and to me, that does nothing for me. I'm not a housewife but I'm old enough to know these songs and I wouldn't give my votes to them.
Tres Bien sang Some Other Guy a song I can't seem to find in Leiber and Stoller's discography. I do find it in The Beatles' discography, but it's still not 100% familiar to me. I think these guys are truly entertaining and I like them. Whatever...they're not boring. I would like to see Mikey stay put a little more, but I do like how they cater to the audience.
I wish someone would have tackled I Who Have Nothing one of my all time favorite songs. If SixWire or The Clark Brothers picked it, I may have felt differently about them. It's a song that requires pipes however.
The comment about the drummer was Dicko's sense of humor. Dicko does nothing for me.
Going Home: I hope Cliffie and the boys.
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Nov 17, 2007 3:11 PM
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I think it's possible the FB fell victim to the "You're gonna win the whole thing" curse of the judges. I think the only AI who Simon said that too early on that actually won was Carrie Underwood. He said it last year to first Lakisha and then Melinda and poof, both lost. I think Sheila handicapped FB by saying they would win on the second week and then they kinda sucked after. Last week the singer forgot the words at least twice, and although none of the judges mentioned it, it was all over the internet. They truly deserved to go because at least all of the other bands remembered the lyrics.
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Nov 17, 2007 3:53 PM
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Light of Doom - This performance was the best they've done. I still don't care for their attitude. They are little boys and someone needs to remind them and their parents of that fact.
The Clark Brothers - I loved this performance and the song. Elvis did it powerfully and they did it justice. Their sincerity, honestly and passion is palpable.
Dot Dot Dot – They are growing on me more and more each week. I really enjoyed this performance.
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 – Quasi fame seems to have gone to Cliff’s head. He didn’t come across well in the video package, nor in his lackadaisical performance. This was a dumb song originally saved by unique, memorable vocals, which Cliff simply doesn’t have.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra – The band is a lot more exciting than Denver. They outshine him constantly, which is sad because I keep hoping he’ll break out with a glory note or two. He’s so likeable, and I love the band’s sound so much that I want him to be great. I think his weak vocals would be well served if they added another vocalist, or two.
Sixwire – I’m learning people either adore or disdain their music. I personally adore it and them. I could listen to them sing Barney songs all day– yes, that’s how much I love their pure, smooth harmonies. I would like to see them spice it up a bit and not play it so safe next week just to prove to the nay sayers than they can, though.
Tres Bien! – They are a entertaining and campy, but they seemed a bit manic to me in this performance.
Cliff Wagner with or without the Old #7 is my choice for going home next week.
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Nov 18, 2007 9:42 AM
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Note to Franklin Bridge:
Humility goes a long way with the public. Your talent was obvious from the get go but your smug reactions to the suggestions from the judges doomed your chances to win. Once you have "made it" you can be as indignant as you please but not until then. Sorry to see you go because now we have to suffer through another week of several inferior bands but hopefully you'll learn from this experience.
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Nov 19, 2007 9:42 AM
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Sorry David, but I have to disagree. I think we have seen our last performance from Chuck Wagner. This song was so dull and I actually love it normally but they slowed it down and it just fell flat.
At first I didn't like the Denver song but then it really started growing on me and I ended up really enjoying the way they handled it so I was surprised that the judges weren't more impressed.
I didn't think that Light of Doom handled jailhouse rock very well. It seemed out of sinc a great deal of the time and somehow having a bunch of 13 yr olds singing about being in jail seemed weired. Not trying to take it too seriously but I find myself cringing at so much of their performances simply because of the subject matter.
Dot, Dot, Dot was surprisingly good. I thought that was a perfect song choice for them and Adam is getting a great deal better at controlling his voice so good for him. I too don't appreciate the judges grudging compliments to the female guitarists.
I also didn't get your reaction to sixwire. I thought they did a fine job with their song.
Tre Bien was just OK. I actually liked the song choice and they had a lot of energy but I did notice a couple of voice issues probably because of said energy.
My favorite as always were the Clark Brothers. Man, Ashley just did a heck of a job on that one. I'm the least holy roller anyone's likely to meet down here in the bible belt, but he had me ready to convert. Hallelujah, brother!
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Nov 19, 2007 2:23 PM
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Honestly, David, as much as you like metal, I can't believe you aren't behind Light of Doom. Those kids are talented and winning this could help them mature into better musicians over time. I have only voted after two shows so far and both times for LoD.
Sixwire was already signed and doesn't need my help. I didn't like FB from the start as they reminded me of boring, Hootie and the Blowfish ripoffs. DDD looks like they ran out to Hot Topic and bought what was popular. They could be fun and quirky if the singer would stand still instead of acting like a spaz. Tres Bien is so Tres Beck. The Clark Bros and CWagner could totally find a nitch and be successful. Denver & MH needs a new singer or a female singer in addition per the other post. He's not Sinatra that's for sure; however, they could play live forever just doing weddings and corporate gigs.
I do agree that the demographics are skewed with this being on at 8 a.m. on a Friday. I am married, 37, and have a 5 year old- I am at home on Fridays after a long week and love to watch this. If I was 25, I would be upstairs getting ready to go out, drinking a beer, and blasting the Misfits or something!
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Nov 20, 2007 1:35 PM
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I told you Dot Dot Dot was going to be around for awhile.I think Cliff Wagner will be gone ,but i thinnk light of doom should be gone and also sixwire.Go DOT DOT DOT.
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Nov 23, 2007 11:20 AM
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