Switchfoot Nails It with ‘Nothing Is Sound’

In my formative years, music played a huge role. No dream was higher than to be the next Eddie Van Halen or Neil Peart. The music drew me in, but the messages of those songs infiltrated my attitudes and eventually my decisions.

That’s why I’m such a cheerleader for music with a positive message. Lyrics alone don’t cut it, the music still has to punch my buttons. One band that’s doing it right these days is Switchfoot. In the world of prefab “idols” these guys are the polar opposite; they’re real. About their latest release, he relates:

These songs are dreams and questions, bleeding together, breathing in and out- always somewhere between life and death. And I feel this tension, this distance now more than ever, like a numbing ache… deep inside. The distance between the way things are and the way they could be, the distance between the shadow and the sun.

Jon Foreman, the lead singer, admits he doesn’t have all the answers. In fact, he’s been suffering lately. Check out track #6, The Blues.

The Blues
Is this the New Year or just another night?
Is this the new fear or just another fright?
Is this the new tear or just another desperation?

Is this the finger or just another fist?
Is this the kingdom or just a hit n’ miss?
A misdirection, most in all this desperation

Is this what they call freedom?
Is this what you call pain?
Is this what they call discontented fame?

It’ll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

I’m singing this one like a broken piece of glass
From broken arms an’ broken noses in the back
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

You’re pushing till you’re shoving
You bend until you break
Till you stand on the broken fields where our fathers lay

It’ll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

There’s nothing here worth saving,
Is no one here at all?
Is there any net left that could break our fall?

It’ll be a day like this one
When the sky falls down and the hungry and poor and deserted are found
Are you discontented? Have you been pushing hard?
Have you been throwing down this broken house of cards?

It’ll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

Is there nothing left now?
Nothing left to sing
Are there any left who hasn’t kiss the enemy?
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

Does justice never find you? Do the wicked never lose?
Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?

And nothing is okay
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in

So, where do you go when the world caves in? I think Jon would say to look for the next world. The world to come.

My hope runs underneath it all,
The day that I’ll be home

It won’t be long, I belong,
Somewhere past the setting sun

Find me free, find me strong,
Somewhere back where I belong

I’ve only just listened to this album one time through, but the music jams and I resonate with the message that “we were meant for so much more.”

Commercials Now Launching Musical Bands

Commericals have used music since the beginning; even popular tunes. But it’s been a recent development that commercials are launching the careers (or at least giving them a healthy shove) of some lesser known groups.

You might remember those Mitsubishi Endeavor commercials? The band is called Overseer and has a long history of backing media pieces. Mitsubishi has been capitalizing on this strategy for a couple years now. They have an Outlander commerical that uses music by Telepopmusik and their Eclipse commercial with a song by Dirty Vegas. Pontiac is piggy-backing on this strategy with their commercials for their new G6 with music by Citizen Cope.

What prompted this post was that last night I heard a song from a favorite band of mine in another Pontiac commerical. I’m not sure what car it was because I was trying to place the tune, but I finally figured it out. Wrecking Ball is a song from Lovers, Lead The Way!. The band is a huge Indie hit called Viva Voce. Be sure to check them out. (They’re a hip husband and wife team.) And be on the lookout for more unknown artists looking to break out through commercials. Then maybe we could all send in the info and Adtunes could update their site. 8^)

Rock Star: Day 24

Someone has created a Web hack script because there’s no way that Trees is a good song. I’m sorry, it’s just not. The audience cheered in J.D. to open it up for it. He went with Pretty Vegas, a far superior selection. When Marty came out, my wife had to leave the room. Trees is that bad.

Suzie started off the Bottom Three with Suicide Blonde. Her pitch is almost always spot on. Delivery is strong. Really there’s not a problem with “Sweet” Suzie McNeil, it’s just that this band is decidedly male. Sorry girlfriend.

J.D. joined Suzie then sang By My Side. Last came Mig and they rewarded him with What You Need. Mig sang this song more like Micheal Hutchins than anyone, so if the band is looking for a true replacement, Mig is their man. His only problem (other than his over tight pants) was being a bit of a spaz but in his first elimination round, can you blame him?

In the end, the band sent Suzie home. But hey, it was a fun ride considering I thought she’d be heading home Week 3. Next week… the finale!

Still in the Hunt

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.
Week 8: Tues., Wed.
Week 9: Tues., Wed.
Week 10: Tues., Wed.

Rock Star: Day 23

Quick. Let’s play the word association game. Yay.

Marty is… Bossing.
J.D. is… Accomodating.
Suzie is… Pleading.
Mig is… Smiling.

Bottom of the Barrel

I won’t put it here but Suzie’s STP song stunk. Big time.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Suzie’s first song was Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots. Of course we can’t trust Navarro, but even the band said it was good. But it wasn’t. It was horrid! In the words of the immortal Steve Irwin, “Crikey!”

Her second song was What’s Up? and she did a great job with it. Too little, too late in my book.

Good, But Not Great

I’m not sure where the support is coming from but Marty’s song Trees is worse than bad. I’m annoyed. The forest is giving us the answer? Pull-eeze. He followed that up with the Radiohead song Creep. It’s a fun song but I was a bit distracted by the simple fact that Marty stared at the primary camara the entire song. He’s a freak. Ditch him.

Mig did Paint It Black and did a decent job of it. Nothing inspiring really. His second song was Kiss From a Rose by Seal. He sang it quite well but I’m not sure if it will bring out the big crowds. But you know, I’m probably part of the wrong demographic.

J.D. got to perform his own Pretty Vegas song again. I’ve got to say, that song rocks. If INXS can get more songs like this from J.D. they should sign him up today. Next he played Money by Pink Floyd. The sad part is that J.D. can’t make it through an entire song with the jimmy shake in his hand. He really should get some medicine for that.

Knocked ‘Em Dead

Maybe I’m too used to these performers but I wasn’t jazzed by any of the sets tonight.

Bottom Three

I still think this is Mig’s contest to lose, so I’ll go with Suzie, J.D. and Marty in the Bottom Three. There, I said it.

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.
Week 8: Tues., Wed.
Week 9: Tues., Wed.
Week 10: Tues.

Rock Star: Day 22

The show took off with the world premiere of a new INXS song called Us. The band played the instruments, the performers sang and they even asked Navarro to get off his butt and play some guitar. After the song was finished I thought, “They might need to start this contest over again.” No one sang well and it tarnished the song. Bummer.

J.D. won the encore with his stylin’ Vegas song. I have to say that song rocks. Very cool. I like it a lot.

Jordis led off the Bottom Three with Need You Tonight, one of the all-time cool INXS songs. But she looked and sounded weak. Suzie went next with Never Tear Us Apart and did a decent job, but who knows, she could be done too.

J.D. got hosed by America and the band gave him Mystify. After having the encore it seemed odd for J.D. to land in the Bottom Three. After he finished singing the band hit him with a Miss America question, “Where would you take our band?” He conjured up some tears and threw out a serious BS answer. Gotta be thinkin’ quick on our feet, mate.

Like I predicted yesterday, the band sent Jordis home. For a band that was fronted by a male since its inception, it just wouldn’t be right to have a female singer. It just wouldn’t be right. Seems obvious to me that Suzie will be heading home next.

Still in the Hunt

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.
Week 8: Tues., Wed.
Week 9: Tues., Wed.

Rock Star: Day 21

If Brooke Burke isn’t the sluttiest MC of all time, I don’t know who is. Billy Crystal?

Bottom of the Barrel

Nothing really horrendous but a couple of those original songs weren’t worthy of air time. P-U-We.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Jordis sang We Are the Champions. Before I knew how much of a flaming freak Freddie Mercury was, I actually liked Queen. Of course, I was 9 at the time. Now I can’t stand them. Her original song was called Try Not. Closer to INXS’s style, but still rock-n-roll at its core. These people just don’t get it.

Mig did Hard To Handle. While he was singing my wife said, “You know why they won’t pick him? Because he’s married.” Never thought of that. But at this point, isn’t everyone in the band already married? I’ve still got my money on Mig. His original song Home In Me was like Suzie’s original, nothing like an INXS song. It sucked wind.

Good, But Not Great

Marty went last and performed an accoustic version of Everlong because he wanted to listen to the band’s direction and “tone it down.” Someone should have told Marty that if you still keep screaming over the accoustic guitars it’s even more noticable. His original song Trees received the line of the night. After Marty was finished and the band critiqued his work, Gary told Marty, “I want to share trees with you.” Wow.

Before Suzie performed Rock Star was kind enough to let us know that they were taking part in contributing towards the relief efforts in the Gulf Coast. I don’t think anyone was surprised to hear that they were going to donate 50% of all of Brooke Burke’s Wild On videos. I was touched.

I Can’t Make You Love Me is a ballad. INXS is an alt-rock band. They couldn’t be more dissimilar. She sang it well, but who cares? Then she follows it up with Soul Life. I was underwhelmed. No groovy hook. No catchy rhythm. Just a throw-away pop song. Yawn.

J.D. did a freaky version of Come As You Are which didn’t quite fly. But his original tune, Pretty Vegas, was the best of the bunch tonight. Really played the crowd and even threw in a pelvic thrust or two. The problem is, if and when he gets to perform an entire show, he’ll die midway through the second set because of his poor lung capacity. He barely did these two songs and he was huffing and puffing for air.

Knocked ‘Em Dead

Nobody was stellar this time around.

Bottom Three

This week I’m thinking Jordis, J.D. and Suzie, with Jordis hitting the bricks. Just seems like she’s out of her element. What say you?

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.
Week 8: Tues., Wed.
Week 9: Tues.

Rock Star: Day 20

Suzie got the encore and she got to pick another performer as her opening act. She chose Marty. So we all got to listen to the exact same songs we heard these performers perform last night.

Then the show tried to play on the performers internal conflicts. Don’t ya just love the Jerry Springer phenomenon? Actually, I don’t. It’s sad and pathetic but… everybody wants to be famous so what are you going to do.

So Bottom Three this week were J.D., Ty and Jordis. J.D. sang This Time. It wasn’t spectacular but still solid. With all the abuse, J.D. is getting a helping of humble pie. But I thought rock stars were supposed to be cocky sprockets?

Ty performed The One Thing. This song was my introduction to INXS. I can still remember the video, you know, back in those first two years when MTV actually played music videos. That song is awesome and Ty did it well. After it was over Gary gave him crap for changing one line of the song, one time. I guess you could say the writing is on the wall.

Jordis sang Listen Like Thieves. I thought she had the weakest performance of the night. It didn’t matter because the band sent Ty home. So what does Ty do? He plays the race card. Seriously. Didn’t he just stay longer than nine other performers? Bad call.

I feel bad for the guy. He’s amazingly talented but now he’ll be remembered as the Rock Star sore loser. Don’t worry Ty, there were only 10-15 million people watching.

Still in the Hunt

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.
Week 8: Tues., Wed.

Rock Star: Day 19

We open with the performers getting grilled on their vocal effort during this week’s clinic. Sounded a bit like the Three Bears.

Marty – Too Gruff
J.D. – Too Lazy
Jordis – Too Rebellious
Ty – Too Ty
Mig – Too Greedy
Suzie – Just Right

Bottom of the Barrel

No horrid performances this week.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Jordis sang Imagine. I hate the Beattles, therefore Jordis sucks. *unnnnt*
Just kidding. She did a right peachy job with this sappy, syrupy, over-hyped, hippy brigade’s anthem.

Good, But Not Great

J.D. did Suspicious Minds by Elvis. Cool song and the bonus is that we learned J.D. used to do Elvis for a living. It’s all starting to make sense now.

Marty sang Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and for the first time the Rock Star crew didn’t need to call for an exorcist. The gospel choir didn’t fit this song but that’s not Marty’s fault and he sang the song quite well. He even threw in a little British accept. Posh fellow his is. The band ate it up.

Ty sang You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones. If there was ever a rock song with a strong gospel influence to highlight Ty’s strengths, it’s this song. He even tossed out a piece of INXS’s What You Need. In a related note, did you see that Mick’s new song picks up where Greenday left off? Stops just shy of calling for Bush’s head on a platter. Political wanker.

Last week Mig’s original song was called Do or Die. This week he performed Live and Let Die. Do we have a theme here? I thought he did a great job with it. Fun song. Only gripe is at one point he made the same sound I remember from my childhood. It haunts me to this day. I remember it like it was yesterday that my Dad accidently backed over our dog’s tail.

Knocked ‘Em Dead

Once again Suzie dazzled the crowd and the band with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. She didn’t have the skin-tight leather pants, sweaty mustache and bad teeth, but everything else was in place. I’m quite ready to admit I was completely wrong about her a few weeks back. She’s got a great voice and can play the audience. I’m not sure she’s “right for our band INXS” but she’s an out-and-out rocker.

Bottom Three

Going to have to go with Jordis, J.D. and Ty. I think Ty would work for INXS but I believe America has it in for him.

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.

100 Greatest Pop Songs

Here are the top 10 from the Top 100 Greatest Pop Songs.

• 01 The Beatles – Yesterday
• 02 Rolling Stones – Satisfaction
• 03 Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
• 04 Madonna – Like A Virgin
• 05 Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
• 06 the Beatles-I Want To Hold Your Hand
• 07 Aretha Franklin – Respect
• 08 U2 – With or Without You
• 09 The Jackson Five – I Want You Back
• 10 Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way

I appreciate that they used real download stats instead of some self-absorbed music critic’s opinion but seriously? The Backstreet Boys made #10?!?

And with no Rush in the Top 100 it is safe to say that these results are without merit and worthless. I guess that’s why I consider myself “alternative.”

Rock Star: Day 18

The band surprised me by giving the encore to Suzie. The America surprised me by keeping Suzie out of the Bottom Three. I’ve been surprised a lot lately. Bad trend.

What isn’t surprising is that Navarro is increasing his rear-kissing/minute ratio. He’s starting to sound like a politician.

So Bottom Three this week were Ty, Deanna and Marty. Ty began with What You Need and did a great job. But you could tell he was mad. Mad at America. Mad at you and me. How could we not have voted for him? Even had a little emotional outburst at the end. Easy there big fella, keep your cool. Don’t you know that Rock Stars don’t cry?

Deanna went next with Elegantly Wasted. Also a strong performance but she’s got a deeper voice than Mary Carillo. There’s just something unsettling about a woman with a voice that deep.

Marty finished things up with Don’t Change—a non-angst song that Marty just had to twist with a little extended scream at the end. This guy’s a rebel, a fighter Dottie.

In the end, the band let Deanna go. But not before a tearful exit. Don’t worry Deanna, I’m sure some band in need of a true baritone, hard-rock vocalist straight off some serious national attention will give you a call.

Still in the Hunt

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.
Week 7: Tues., Wed.

Rock Star: Day 17

The show began with Suzie playing the Cry Card hoping to get a chance to perform her original tune, but alas, the game is finally on and both Mig and Deanna gave her the cold shoulder. Buck up lass, the sun will come out tomorrow.

Just in case it hasn’t be mentioned before, Brooke has so shame. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that she’s only present to draw the young male demo.

Bottom of the Barrel

I’m not just going to toe the company line and say that everything is great when it’s clearly not. Jordis waltzed through the early part of Dream On then completely butchered the end. Painful. Even Navarro went pale. If she’s not Bottom Three the fix is on.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Marty is really starting to scare me. It’s like he’s possessed with the ghost of Alister Crowley or something. He always gravitates towards the dark songs and then gets that vacant stare in his eyes by the end of the song. So much so that when Navarro starts to talk to him it’ll take a few moments before his visage changes. It’s really starting to freak me out. Marty didn’t have to thrash I Alone as much as he did. He’s just beyond hope at this point and I think the band sees it as well.

Mig’s original song was called Do or Die. It was too hard rock for INXS but he did a decent job with it. But when the time came to give credit to the band, he took it all. I had hoped for more from my man Mig. However, I still see Mig as the leader in this race.

Good, But Not Great

J.D. did Cold as Ice and punked it up a bit with a twist of Elvis thrown in. I thought it was kinda hip. J.D. is clearly the most creative songwriter in the group. If only he didn’t love himself so much. He’ll make some band quite proud. Once INXS sees all his backstage antics it just won’t be for them.

Suzie led off and did a good job with the Stones’ Start Me Up. She’s a strong performer and you could tell she had a great time performing this tune. She even did the crowd-surfing. Navarro bowed before her.

Deanna, with Ty’s help, wrote a song called My Truth. This song was totally not the alt-rock, INXS style of music but it jammed anyway. I surprised myself for liking it so much. I’ve got to think the band played a significant role in helping it arrive at its first-rate result.

Knocked ‘Em Dead

Ty just inched out Deanna for the best performance of the night. With the backup singers in place and his house band prepped, Ty led the room with a stellar performance of Proud Mary. I don’t even like the song and I thought it was killer. But how this helps his chances I’ll never know. The song couldn’t be farther from an INXS tune if it took the concord to Mongolia. Nonetheless, Ty killed. I’d be very surprised if Ty doesn’t already have offers to front some other bands.

Bottom Three

Going to have to go with Jordis, Marty and Suzie this week. Not that Suzie especially deserves the Bottom Three but she has a history there.

Blogtrail
Week 1: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 2: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 3: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 4: Mon., Tues., Wed.
Week 5: Tues., Wed.
Week 6: Tues., Wed.

Rock Star: Day 16

Whoa. Lame show. No witty Navarroisms. No total meltdowns. No J.D. self adulation.

All we had was one tricky moment when Brook tried to trick Ty into thinking he was Bottom Three. I think after the show, Ty’s boys should teach Ms. Burke a thing or two about manners.

Suzie sang By My Side. So so. Deanna rumbled out Never Tear Us Apart. Yawn. Jessica performed Mystify. Yada yada yada. Then the band sent Jessica packing. Can’t say we didn’t see it coming for weeks. I’m afraid the rest of the show might be pretty predictable until the hand the trophy to Mig.

Still in the Hunt

Update: Nobody’s funnier than WuzzaDem and his crazy mofo parady bits. Check these puppies out:

• Mr. Stick Figure: INXS
• Dry Cleaner: INXS

Rock Star: Day 15

J.D. is stirring things up! First by promoting himself as the biggest INXS fan of the group and now by stepping out of the team song writing contest, then writing his own version which the band liked best.

After their little “exhange” on the stage, I don’t expect Marty to be inviting J.D. to his next house party.

Bottom of the Barrel

No bombs this week either. Makes sense since most of the bombardiers have already left the show.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Weakest performance of the night goes to Deanna with I Can’t Make You Love Me. Tough song because there was no big guitar distortion to hide behind so her voice was out there for everyone to hear. I expect Deanna to make Bottom Three.

I think Marty is heading over to the dark side. If he can’t put an evil twist on a song, he’s not in his element. Giving him Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears was pure genius. Marty didn’t implode like I thought he might, but it wasn’t fun to watch. Who wants to bet that Marty grew up listening to Nine Inch Nails? Navarro thought it was wonderful.

J.D. sang As Tears Go By. During the lead-in he said he wouldn’t perform it; just sing the song. Who are we kidding here? He couldn’t sit still for a minute and was playing the crowd midway through the second verse. BTW, my wife things J.D. could be a serial killer.

Good, But Not Great

Jessica sang Torn and did a good job with it. She’s a figher too even though she’ll land in the Bottom Three she really sang this song well. The only problem is that there’s more of a chance that Hillary Clinton will denounce abortion, push for privatizing healthcare and work towards a smaller government than there is for Jessica to win this contest. Someone needs to buy Navarro some chapstick because he’s been kissing some major ass on this show.

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is another classic like Layla but Jordis sang this song much better. Navarro compared her to a celestial body or something. I think he’s persistently high.

Ty sang Rod Stewart’s Maggie May. I thought the sound manager mixed over the guitar with keyboards so the song sounded a bit odd but clearly Ty has a strong voice. The band pointed out that Ty flashed his tongue three times. Not sure that’s a good thing. When I was a kid, my mom had some crazy curtains in our dining room. Ty was wearing pants made from the same cloth.

Mig did a great job with Baby I Love Your Way and even played piano along with the song, just like Frampton did. The band just raved afterwards which got us wondering. Do you think the band already has a favorite and just wants the shows to be over with? To me, Mig is the obvious choice. Other than possibly Ty, no one else has that star power that would hold up fronting a major band like INXS. His only shortcoming may be that he’s too nice. Is that possible?

Knocked ‘Em Dead

Now, I don’t think Suzie deserves to win this competition but she definitely had the best performance of the night. I had no way of knowing she could sing like this. Maybe she’s just starting to feel comfortable? Maybe those voice lessons helped? Maybe Navarro told her she’s already won? I’m not sure, but she killed with Bring It On Home.

I’m going to wuss out and repeat last week’s prediction for the Bottom Three: Jessica, Deanna and Suzie.

Rock Star: Day 13

The show began with Navarro hitting on Brooke Burke, which is no big surprise since every show begins with Navarro hitting on Brooke Burke.

Bottom of the Barrel

Like last week’s show, no one completed bombed… unless you count Navarro’s stylist.

Fine, If You Like That Sort of Thing

Jessica sang Come As You Are by Nirvana. This is the 437th Nirvana song so far. I’m sensing a trend. The tough thing is that Cobain had that rough, scratchy voice and Jessica’s voice doesn’t sound anything like it. It wasn’t that Jessica did poorly, it’s just a bad fit. Given the response from the audience, the band and America, no one should blame her if she takes the first taxi out of town.

From the best performance of the week to one of the worst, Jordis was out of sync with Layla. To be fair, it’s a guitar-players song not really designed for a vocalist so she just sang along with the band. For the first time of the season, Navarro didn’t ask her out for drinks after the show.

I think J.D. might be sliding on the popularity scale. His rendition of Seal’s Crazy was a definite downer. Am I the only one getting tired by his twitchy right hand?

Good, But Not Great

Suzie tried to go alternative with R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion and did a decent job reworking it. But I still don’t feel like Suzie could front a band. Well, maybe one of the marching bands, with the baton twirlers and elephants. Yeah, she could do that.

Deanna sang Long Train Running by the Doobie Bros. She did a great job with it, but what I don’t understand is why the song is even in the mix. Who’s picking these things? There are certain songs that are so polar opposite from INXS and their vibe, that even the best performers won’t look like they would be a “good fit for our band INXS.” Can’t blame Deanna for this one. And yes, Navarro kissed Deanna’s tush up one side and down the other, yada, yada, yada.

Ty did a great job with a Bob Marley song and the band just loved it. I was like, “Name a single INXS that’s even remotely similar to this soulful reggae tune.” Oh well. Maybe I’m just dense.

Mig sang All Right Now which is an old, OLD Bad Company song. He did a wonderful job with it, looking like the star the whole time. But like I just wrote about Long Train Running, why the heck is this song in the list? Maybe someone in the band just wanted to hear it again since all the members of Bad Company died sometime in the 90s.

Marty did a superior job with The Killer’s Mr. Brightside but chose to go acoustic with it. The band applauded his performance but it would have been even better had he let the band join in. Marty is rising up the charts in my book.

Knocked ‘Em Dead

If Brandon leaves after this performance, it’s not because he didn’t give it his all. It’s All Over Now by The Rolling Stones is Brandon’s kind of song and he played it to the hilt. He deserves the encore but might get shone the door.

My picks for the Bottom Three are: Jessica, Deanna and Suzie. What say you?

Rock Star: Day 12

Elimination night and things got off with a bang when Ty’s name was read as one of the Bottom Three. Guess his version of Everlong struck others as lame too. Tara was kinda a shoe-in this week and Brandon edged out Jessica for the final spot.
Like last week, I guessed 2-out-3.

Brandon when first and sang Devil Inside. It was servicable but far from compelling. He just doesn’t do it for me. And I mean that in the most hetero way possible. Tara sang a mellow tune called Beautiful Girl and did a good job. But that’s not where her problem lies. She just can’t rock. When she tries, she comes off goofy; like someone eating a food they don’t like with that sour-face going on.

As for Ty, he rocked with Kick. Good song for him and he played it up. My only complaint was the extra soul he through in. Don’t know if that’ll be a problem for the band, but he’s got an amazing voice, tons of energy and a look that sells.

On a side note, how many of you are frustrated with the remix version of songs that the contestants have to sing? Strange arrangements if you ask me. For those of us who’ve loved INXS’s music for years, it’s just weird to here these songs change right in front of our ears. Ah well, it could be worse. I could be watching CSI: Milwaukee.

Still in the Hunt