Another week, another Next Great American Band post.
- Big bands have the built-in advantage of arrangement. The phone book would sound good played by a big band.
- Do you think the singer from The Hatch forgot to call the drummer to ask if he was wearing his gray vest? And Johnny's right, the original tune had no hook. And the singer's not all that good, which is part of what Dicko was saying about the melodies being too "jammy."
- I totally knew Light of Doom would play "All Along The Watchtower." And if they don't wind up snorting coke off a hooker's ass by the time they're sixteen, they could be a damn good metal band. Great comments from Shiela E., though, about articulation and hitting the notes.
- The Likes Of You didn't get much screen time in the first episode. Capable, but mostly unremarkable, other than the gigantic singer. And crap guitar tone.
- Wow, Rocket sucks. Or at least were a lot better when they were called The Donnas. Shiela's totally giving them a pass, which is a shame.
- And now for something completely different. But the country bands should all kill the Dylan stuff. Kinda like the big band, though, Cliff Walker and the Old No. 7 have got the advantage of "established forms," particularly on original tunes. I think. I could be talking out of my ass.
- The Muggs have a no-nonsense vibe which is cool, but while the singer's voice is great for Dylan, it could get grating pretty quickly. And the kids are never going to vote for them.
- I think it's that fuzoid streak in me -- I've got more than a few Dixie Dregs records -- that makes The Clark Brothers my favorites of the country/bluegrass bands on the show. They're balls-out musicians, and as a guy who doesn't appreciate country as country, it's something I can relate to. Although "Billy The Kid" had a pretty strong hook in the chorus.
- Ah, the retro kids of Tres Bien. Their time isn't great, and I'm not talking about the sixties. They're just a bit sloppy, not owning their tones. Could be nerves, I guess. Could be inexperience. Shiela's on the money.
- I was hoping Franklin Bridge would do "You Gotta Serve Somebody," but they're smokin' on this. Dicko doesn't get the genre.
- Hey, gratuitous Elbo Room shot! Dot Dot Dot sounds better than they did in the premiere, but I don't really like the My Chemical Romance version of the chorus of the Dylan tune. Neither do the judges, en masse. Rose has the best lead tone of the night, though. And holy crap, Dicko just nailed what's wrong with bands like Dot Dot Dot, and by "like," I mean "managed by the same company as."
- Yeah, don't care about Sixwire. Contemporary Nashville pop doesn't interest me in any way, shape or form. Except maybe the harmonies. Wow.
I watched the show too late to vote, but no question, I would have voted for Franklin Bridge. More people need to see bands like them.