Round of 8
November 9
Last time, ten bands took
the stage, and the other two were sent packing. Tonight, eight will
continue to rock, while the other two will roll on home, and it's all to
the music of Billy Joel.
Quick reminder: a band's
performance order doesn't mean anything in regards to who got the most
votes. If they play first, it doesn't necessarily mean they came in
first.
First band playing
tonight... is... Franklin Bridge! Darrell worked at Chuck E. Cheese. Ray
Ray sees this band as his first real job. Kurt starts up "Big Shot".
What wasn't big.. the lyrics. This is supposed to be just an
interpretation, but come on, let's get the words right. John says they
really made it rock. Sheila says that everyone was rocking, but we need
to stay humble. "The best attitude you can have is gratitude." Dicko
doesn't see it as cockiness, but confidence. Kurt pleads the fifth
as to who he was singing it to.
Next up... Cliff Wagner &
the Old #7! The band had to miss a lot of little league games and play.
They've slept in garages for their art, and today, they'll display it
with "You May Be Right". The arrangement left out my favorite lyric of
the song... you know, the one about walking through Bed-Stuy and riding
your motorcycle in the rain. Oh well, it could be forgiven, because they
were on point. John liked it, but he was expecting a bit more
"poundage". Sheila thinks a lot of people are going to like it or hate
it. Dicko thinks it's fantastic that they're there, but the song put him
to sleep.
Number three on our set list
is... Denver & the Mile High Orchestra! Denver's wife just had a baby.
That has to be the hardest thing ANY traveling musician has to go
through. But this was a family decision, so he's going to do the family
proud with "Tell Her About It." This is a very horn-driven song, and the
band comes together very well on it. John thought it was great. John's
only challenge: "What can you do to break the boundaries of your genre?"
Sheila thought that the song flowed. Dicko thinks that they're on their
way to become a killer corporate act, but at the moment, they need to
challenge themselves (see Johnny's remark).
After the break, it's band
#4... Dot Dot Dot. Stephan was a bad programmer. Michael was a teacher
in the school of rock. Adam was a cook. Lisa worked for a print shop.
Tonight, they're working on "Pressure." John thought it was a solid
interpretation. Sheila thought they came back and did something great.
Dicko cites Adam on focus, and saying that this performance was a
lightyear better than last week's.
Halfway out of it, and we're
ready for band number five... Sixwire! Andy never had to do anything out
of music. Robb lived in a one-room apartment. Tonight, they're playing
"She's Always a Woman". Get the lighters and the cell phones out, folks.
John calls it awesome. Sheila calls it beautiful. Dicko: "Why would you
sing such a woman-hating tome of misogyny like that?" Andy thinks that
it's about celebrating all the different aspects of woman.
Five bands left, the one
that's coming up next... Tres Bien!! They all made a sacrifice of not
going to college. They all live at home. They all work dead-end jobs.
It's this or nothing. Tonight, it's "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"... or
nothing. John still thinks that they are his favorite, but they needed
to go all out with urgency and energy. Sheila thinks that they're having
fun, but as musicians, they did as much as they could do. Dicko thought
it was sloppy. "Normally, I'd give you a pithy comment here, but my
writer's on strike, so the best I got for you is... *raspberries, thumbs
down*"
We got the idea. Tres Bien!
was muy malo. Will the Clark Brothers be as muy malo? They're up next.
They're all musicians on the road, and that's all they knew how to do.
Today, they do "She's Got a Way". Perfect song for these guys. John
gives it a standing O. Sheila calls it outstanding. Dicko: "Just
fantastic."
We're down to the final
three bands: The Muggs... Rocket... and Light of Doom. For two of these
bands, the journey ends right here, right now. For the other, it's time
to hit the stage...
The band that'll perform
tonight... is... Light of Doom! The Muggs and Rocket have to rocket
their muggs on outta here. Dicko puts it nicely: "Death by lead singer."
Meanwhile... well, these guys are kids. They never had real jobs. Heh.
They close the night with "The Stranger". Again, I've said it before...
it's way too gimmicky, with the kids doing death metal. They're not up
to it. John calls it their best performance, but they have to stay
focused and stay humble. Sheila loves them. Dicko wants Light of Doom
toys out for the Christmas rush. "Your voice is not where it need to be,
but a lot of the older singers can learn a lot from you."
So to recap...
Headliners: Cliff Wagner &
the Old #7, Denver & the Mile High Orchestra, Dot Dot Dot, Clark Bros.
Opening Acts: Franklin Bridge
Tending Bar: Tres Bien!, Light of Doom
But that's just what we
think. It's all about you. Remember, one of these bands will NOT play
next week. What did your votes do? We'll find out next time. |