A Little Bit Country

Flipping through some videos put up on the Youtube this morning, what did my bleary eyes spy? Why Chris Daughtry – you know that rocker guy everyone yammers on about who ’should have won’ the 2006 season of American Idol instead of that gray haired guy – in a video from the Country Music Awards. The Country Music Award Show, you read that right ! I had completely forgotten the CMA’s were on this week since I don’t watch award shows, but there were apparently a few video worthy moments from the show put up on the Youtube.

I have to ask, is it not enough that Daughtry has received loads of attention for being one of the top selling artists on the Billboard charts, that he outsold Taylor Hicks (the guy who really won Idol that year) by like a gazillion copies on his first record out of the Idol chopping block? That I hear Daughtry every single day at some point on the radio on various channels and that he’s definitely one of the most tweet-friendliest celebrity artists hanging out almost daily on Twitter? No apparently not, as it seems from his performance last night on the CMA’s he quite likely looks perched to make a run at Country music as well. My question is, Daughtry, really is this your next direction? It is a nicely done song exhibiting versatility as an artist but is this a ‘new’ Daughtry or just a one night stand – with Vince Gill?

“Tennessee Line”

The other Youtube worthy moment came when Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley gave a poke at Kanye West, I’m sure you’ve seen it, if not, here it is:

“Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Kanye” I liked this video as it gives that down home sort of vibe. Like when I was a kiddo and the folks would subject me to the horrors of syndicated episodes of “Hee Haw”.

That’s about it for me regarding the Country music genre this morning. Wait almost forgot, I was speaking about that gray haired ol guy from Idol earlier, and well it seems he’s thinking along the C&W lines as well. Sadly it looks like Daughtry may beat him to the punch – again. You know Taylor Hicks is a bit tied up at the moment with riding up and down in that plastic ice cream cone in the travelling road show version of “Grease”.

“Nineteen” Taylor Hicks

(Now really wouldn’t that have fit into the CMAs?)

X-Factor; JedWard Entertaining Television

Twin contestants, John and Edward Grimes, known as “JedWard”, off the UK show, “X-Factor” are apparently fascinating much of the United Kingdom’s viewers on the country’s version of American Idol. Fascinating being the key word. Certainly these boys do not possess the singing abilities of what is defined in the Pop star world, but they are making quite good television.

What more could you, the viewer, want for a break in the humdrum land of Karaoke reality television? JedWard presented, this past week, the “Ghostbusters” theme-song complete with a cardboard prop of the vehicle from the movie, stage prancing monsters, a flying lady ghost and the ‘possessed’ lady dressed in red screamer; I really can’t think of a thing. Top that, the choreography was actually quite good.

Obviously these kids, a pair of good looking boys with an obvious sense of humor are not really destined for massive radio hits on the Pop charts; I could see them with their own, say thirty minute, variety show – possibly. Simon Cowell’s really sort of spot on with his observation of the performance being fascinating to kids of about one and a half year old, really the boys do have sort of that feel of fitting into children’s television. Either as a sort of “Wiggles” act or perhaps like those mind-numbing twinset stars, Zack and Cody whom my daughter watches on the Disney Channel.

VFTW, with their always spot-on instinct for finding the comedy gold in these sort of reality shows has been pushing the support for JedWard. Smarterthanpickler writes, “While this destroys the show’s, Simon’s (and probably the entire UK’s) credibility, Euro-Worsters will have to vote even harder next week in order to keep the twins on and make Simon rue the day he saved them. VFTW Victory!”.

British on-line celebrity site, Anglophenia mirrors this sentiment and gives the VFTW crowd kudos in likely helping keep these two intrepid singers (read) comedians in the running. They also acknowledge keeping the boys on the show has been merely an intelligent business decision, a ratings ploy rather than a search for a really good singer:

“Sometimes it’s the awful contestants on TV talent shows that make viewers come back each week. So maybe Simon Cowell was making a smart business decision when he put the vocally-challenged John and Edward, a.k.a. Jedward, through to the next round on his UK “singing competition,” X Factor.”

I have no idea when people are going to wake up and take note, these shows, American Idol and X-Factor are not designed in mind to really find that next super-star of the sound waves; it’s television. Scripted, manipulated televison, that draws in enormous interest and ratings and therefore hefty volumes of cash, not much more. Sure, some of the contestants have emerged from the shows winding up making a nice career for themselves, but considering the volume of the people and the Big Picture, this is merely a money making enterprise. Realizing that I have no issue with seeing two lads such as JedWard getting up on stage and presenting “Ghostbusters”.

JedWard do “Ghostbusters”

Steven Tyler: No Sympathy for The Devil

Okay maybe that’s not the best lead in for this story since, well “Sympathy for the Devil” a Rolling Stones tune. Apparently that was the case, though, regarding Mr. Tyler and his long-time bandmates that has seemingly lead to his quitting Aerosmith. Ever since his painful mishap at the Sturgis, SD concert it seems the band and he have not been getting on that well. This has lead to Steven Tyler opting out of the band.

Considering the man is 61 years old, he had to have suffered a great deal from his bad tumble off the stage during the Sturgis concert and at his age, falling and breaking bones is difficult to overcome. Topping off that bit of painful embarrassment, his bandmates were not in the mood to send him any Hallmark “get well soon” cards. No, instead, they were quite put off with him. Granted his fall off the stage seems to be largely due in part to his wild and wooly partying, but, really people, Steven Tyler is a Rock Star and what kind of Rock Star would he be if he neglected to properly get his Party-On prior to the show? Exactly.

In an interview with Classic Rock Magazine Mr. Tyler informed, “I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but it’s definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler.”

It never fails to amuse me hearing folks refer to themselves in third person format. Sort of gives one insight into how they really feel about themselves and how they think the public considers them. In the future I must start referring to anything I do as Brand Sunny, or Team Sun or some such moniker… I’ll work it out.

I do have sympathy for Mr. Tyler and his bit of disgrace at Sturgis. Since our little homegrown band sprung up like those weeds you find lurking between your pansies in the garden, I’ve experienced first-hand how a person can get tangled up in all those cords that get strewn across the stage and catapault off-stage. I experienced an unfortunate incident myself a short time back at the local Main Street Pub during a little party we played. Thankfully I did not break anything; no my Jack Daniels powered acrobatic skills allowed me to leap right back up; grabbing the microphone stand helped slow my fall. Seriously, what was Steven Tyler thinking not utilizing a mic stand? Not only can you lean on it as a third limb of sorts, you can utilize it like a cane to help slow your fall and help you to get up. You know what they say about old dogs, though.

Thankfully this weekend we had a protected stage area with a nifty surround that prevented anyone shootiing off as if headed for a 1990’s Mosh Pit. Here’s a snap of the band warming up. Big John, Mark, Sharon, Rob, TheDMan and Lamendolla. Drummer Don in the far back.

Well good luck to Steven Tyler and Brand Tyler, or Brand Steven or whatever he settles for and lest he or anyone else forgets, Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees). Or, in his case, hard on the shoulder.

Aw, Puppies and Kittens

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