Next Great American Band

[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
I think SixWire will win this. Franklin Bridge = musical masturbation. I'd give Dot Dot Dot an outside chance, just because they have an interesting look. Tres Bien could do better if they would start to take the competition seriously.

[/ QUOTE ]
Dead money:

1. Tres Bien! - They are taking this seriously but they simply aren't good enough. The musically weakest act left in the competition except maybe LoD.

2. Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - Stuck in a limited-appeal genre and Denver is boring both onstage and off.

3. Light of Doom - Really great for 13-yr-old kids but at some point they will be forced to compete against adults on their merits. Their sound is inflexible and basically copied from other heavy metal bands. They are very lacking in terms of writing and arranging music. Their arrangement of The Stranger last night made me want to cry. Worst hack job of any cover since the top 12 began.

Plus they make many adults very uncomfortable. There are a lot of people who will never vote for them no matter what.

4. Cliff Wagner & Old #7 - These guys are really talented and I like them a lot. Problem is they are in a limited-appeal genre and they show no signs of being able to 'occupy the center' and reach a broader audience.

Wild card:

5. Dot Dot Dot - These guys have a lot of stage appeal and they play types of music that have broad appeal. They aren't good enough right now but they are fixing their problems and improving much faster than anyone else. They are a longshot but they have a shot.

Contenders:

6. Franklin Bridge - This band is very talented and has the flexibility to do a lot of different types of music. These guys own a big share of the center while also monopolizing important niches by being the only black group and the only group that can do soul, funk, and several other things.

7. Sixwire - A finished product of obvious high quality and broad appeal. However there are two minor problems to resolve before we all declare Sixwire the winner and stop watching early.

First, don't they seem a little static? I don't see much improvement week-to-week and I don't see many things that can easily be improved. The trend in these competitions is the performers that survive grow very rapidly as artists. Betting on someone who looks good now but lacks potential is a sucker bet because the price will never be good enough.

The second problem with Sixwire is ...

8. The Clark Brothers are the best country band right now and probably the best band period. They are really tight both musically and visually and their arrangements and original material have been topnotch. Last night the judges seem to acknowledge their performance as best and I'm inclined to agree with them. I think we've reached a tipping point where they break out of Sixwire's shadow and become one of the recognized front runners.

[TimTimSalabim]

SW,
Interesting comments. I agree that Clark Bros are very talented but to me they're more of a novelty act than a full fledged band, therefore I don't give them much of a shot to win. JMO of course.

Also, I think Sixwire is getting better each week, it's just not as noticeable because they started at such a high level.

[stereoman]

Updated odds over at Bet365:

Sixwire 9/4
The Clark Brothers 9/4
Franklin Bridge 9/2
Dot Dot Dot 8/1
Tres Bien 9/1
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra 10/1
Light of Doom 11/1
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 30/1

[TimTimSalabim]

I didn't think FB had a chance to win, they just seemed to be too much into themselves and not the audience. Bit of a shock to see them go so soon, though.

My favorites are still Sixwire, Dot Dot Dot and Tres Bien, and I thought they all performed well tonight. I suppose I have to acknowledge Clark Bros has an appeal as well. The other three acts have hardly a prayer, I'd rate them at more than 100 to 1.

[StellarWind]

I was stunned when Franklin Bridge was eliminated.

In a way I've been very lucky. It's not often you discover that you have no idea what you are doing and it doesn't cost you any money. Maybe no one should listen to me about TNGAB.

When Sixwire introduced "I Keep Forgettin" I thought they had made a great choice.

Or not [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]. This is a very emotional song about a brokenhearted man. Somehow Sixwire overlooked this and produced a really bland cover that lost the spark of the song.

I suppose they still sounded good and they won't be hurt by this performance. But you only get so many opportunities in life and they just missed one.

The Clark Brothers were sharp but I'm uncertain that focusing on gospel is the way to win. But maybe that doesn't matter. Keep this up and I have to believe the gospel labels will be standing in line for these guys.

[kylephilly]

Disappointed to see FB go

[stereoman]

Hmmm. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if The Clark Brothers won because I suppose Syco would love to get it's fingers into each and every possible pie. Sixwire could very well be a red herring like Chris Daughtry was over at American Idol.

Updated odds from Bet365:

Sixwire 2/1
The Clark Brothers 5/2
Dot Dot Dot 4/1
Light of Doom 5/1
Tres Bien 15/2
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra 9/1
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7 15/1