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.
Your Take
Anonymous said: Now that the likes of you is gone, the show offers very little musical challenge, so it should be easy for …
Anonymous said: To me the best band left is Light of Doom. They rock, they can sell Cd’s. I believe if they don’t win, so…
Anonymous said: NOT ANOTHER DOT DOT DOT FAN!! Hey, wake up- only the dot dot dot fans are hearing this “awesome” sound of t…
Tonight, the bands we’ll be playing covers of Elton John/Bernie Taupin songs.
Sixwire – “Gotta Get Away” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down”
Sixwire’s original tune, again, sounds like it could immediately be transplanted onto contemporary country radio. These guys, even though I’m not a big fan of their genre, are the most commercially viable band on the show. Their cover isn’t different enoug to be interesting and isn’t similar enough to the original to be a quality homage. But, it’s not bad and Sixwire isn’t in danger of going home any time soon. The judges love them, as they should.
Tres Bien – “How I Feel” and “Love Lies Bleeding”
Their original is straight up British Invasion, but bad British Invasion. I like the idea of this band more than I like the band, I’m beginning to realize. They don’t play their instruments as well as they should and rhythmically, they’re all over the place. But, still, I like their energy and I like the retro genre they play in. Can they improve week by week? Sheila and John love the performances, and Dicko has some cautious words, but he mostly loves it.
Franklin Bridge – “Love’s Fool” and “Philadelphia Freedom”
Their original sounds like their other stuff, which is OK, but they go through one verse and then enter an extended jam that takes them to the Elton cover. They needed to get back into the actual song, not just a jam, so it was underwhelming. The cover is okay, but I hate the song, so maybe I’m wrong. The judges are universally underwhelmed.
The Clark Brothers – “Country Time” and “Country Comfort”
Hey, these guys can play their instruments, but I still want some percussion. An all-string band just doesn’t do it for me. Their original song is better than their cover, but the judges love it all. The brothers are still one of the top two or three best bands in the competition.
Light of Doom – “Blah Blah Blah” and “Saturday’s All Right”
OK, so they can play their instruments. We get it. But, they are very, very creepy. The judges are actually nice to them, but I want them to be gone. Their cover is better than their original, but that’s expected because you don’t get a lot of fourteen year old songwriters who know what they’re doing. I’ll be surprised if they’re not eliminated next week.
Dot Dot Dot – “Original Song” and “Your Song”
The judges hated these guys last week, but Dot Dot Dot really improved tonight. I still am not a huge fan and think the lead singer is a lot worse than people believe, but I have to admit they stepped it up tonight. I am a bit impressed with their song writing abilities: the original was solid.
Cliff Wagner and the Ol’ #7 – “Little White Chapel” and “Honky Cat”
The judges loved these guys. The word they used more often than not was “fun.” I would agree with that sentiment, but it’s bluegrass. Bluegrass isn’t all that big these days. Their original was fun and the cover was perfectly suited for them.
The Muggs – “Should’ve Learned My Lesson” and “I Guess Why They Call it the Blues”
I’m on record as an unabashed Muggs fan, but the lead singer is terrible at singing. Great guitarist, terrible singer. The judges focused on this tonight, and it’s pretty clear that these guys aren’t going anywhere until they find themselves a new guitarist.
Rocket – “My Future Ex-Girlfriend” and “Rocket Man”
I have nothing to say about this except: Rocket is not a good band. The lead singer is awful. I can’t believe they weren’t eliminated.
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra – “All Night” and “I’m Still Standin’”
A surprise addition to the top ten, at least to me, but here they are. You know what you’re getting with Denver: a solid swing band that creates slightly cheesy music. They aren’t commercially viable, but are charming enough.
So, that means The Hatch and The Likes of You have been eliminated from The Next Great American Band. Not totally expected, but no tragedy either.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
