Thanks a bunch to Caffiend who wrote up a recap after attending the NAGB taping last night. She recaps the episode in detail and reveals who goes home. If you want to know which bands bite it this week–click on the jump… Also, a big thanks to Dave and Vote For the Worst for the heads up on this week’s spoilers.
Spoilers and recap after the jump…
Eliminated: The Muggs and Rocket. No surprise there…
Just got back from a taping of “The Next Great American Band.” Having seen both this show and AI in person, this show is so much better in so many ways. The judges are better: they give excellent criticism, they’re more professional, they take it seriously. The host, Dominic, is smoking hot in person: tall, completely comfortable in front of the camera, and completely lacking in Ryan-smarminess.
And the concept is terrific. Unlike on Idol, where someone like Carrie Underwood can try out on a whim, there’s no way to suddenly decide to try out for this show. To be here, you’ve worked your butt off for years, learning how to be a musician, sacrificing money and hobbies and all kinds of things along the way.
Tonight each band performed only one song by Billy Joel — there was no original song this week. The show is being cut to one hour starting this week, and two more bands were eliminated.
I think the eight remaining bands are really talented and tight musicians. That said, I think Sixwire is the band to beat, but look out for the Clark Brothers.
The eight bands that performed tonight were really good…a couple of the ones that were criticized last week came back strong this week.
Spoilers: Here are the performers and songs. They were introduced one at a time, and at the end we found out who was eliminated.
1. Franklin Bridge: Performed “Big Shot.” They took the judges’ advice and toned down the arrangement, and they were really, really good.
2. Cliff Wagner and the Old No. 7: I don’t remember what song they did. They were good but not that memorable.
3. Denver and the Mile High Orchestra: The video segment that introduced them revealed that Denver, the lead singer, and his wife had a baby two days ago. It was a really touching video. You could tell that getting through meant a whole lot to him and the band. They did “Tell Her About It” and it rocked the house.
4. Dot Dot Dot: They performed “Pressure” and were miles better than last week. Very solid. The judges gave them props.
5. Sixwire: Just sensational as always. They did “She’s Always A Woman” and it was amazing. The lead singer has a ton of charisma.
6. Tres Bien: They performed “Moving Out.” They are a very cute, appealing band, but they didn’t get great feedback this week.
7. Clark Brothers: They did an amazing rendition of “She’s Got A Way.” Blew the audience away.
So now it’s down to the last band. Three remain: Rocket, the Muggs and Light of Doom. There was a HUGE contingent of parents and kids from San Diego who had come up to cheer them on. My husband and I figured all hell would break loose if they didn’t make it. But, fortunately for them, Light of Doom WAS the final band!
I know some people on here aren’t wild about these kids, but let me tell you what I observed. First, I listened to a long convo between one of the band member’s moms — the skinny blonde who was on the boat in the first show. She struck me as a typical supportive parent who is awestruck that this is happening to her kid. Also, it was evident that all the other bands loved
these kids and vice-versa…lots of hugs and high-fives throughout the show as every band was called out.
And lastly, the kids were way better this week. They did “Stranger” and nailed it. They really do sound quite incredible live.
So Rocket and the Muggs went home. Dominic asked Dicko what he thought the reason was, and he said in both cases it was “death by lead singer.” Heh.
Anyway, it was a super-fun experience. The bands are all great; I think it could be an interesting finish. Fox needs to give this show better promotion and a better time slot. They have a real winner on their hands.
