19, 2005
Unsigned, The TV Show
Unsigned. Not a bad first effort from Pete Omlin into the world of reality television.
Overall the whole thing worked better that I thought it would. But on the production side the sound and editing was very bad in some spots. Maybe it's because I've been really interested in independant self-made films lately that I have begun noticing bad edits but I think anyone would notice the audio dropouts. Whomever cut and mixed this thing must have been short on time and footage. I can't find any other explanation for not being able to hear any of Makeshifts interview or song. I don't know enough about making a TV show to know if this was a problem when recording it or just shoddy post production but there were several audio dropouts elsewhere and just bad sound on some songs. I just don't see how these problems could be broadcast related but I'm sure someone will let me know if they are. Now on to the show and the bands...
I tuned in three minutes late so I can't tell you the names and background of the judges and for now I'll just refer to them as The Buzz DJ, The A&R Lady and The Label Guy. The American Idol judging style worked pretty well and I liked the judges. It was a good mix except for some female on the end that somebody, I can only presume Omlin, just had to have in the show. The first cut to her had no reason to be there at all and was very choppy. When they panned to her again I couldn't tell if she was The Label Guy's girlfriend or if she was a judge that they decided not to use. But again, the judges came off as supportive and seemed to get their points across well.
The interviews with each band after their song weren't bad. Atleast when they could find someone in the band that wanted to talk. My feeling is that, if you are the frontman, you are the one who should be answering at least the first couple of the questions. I liked the hostess and wouldn't have minded if they let some the better interviews go on longer. The host, another Buzz DJ I believe, did well in the Ryan Seacrest role, introducing the bands and acting as liason between the bands and the judges. (Maybe they introduced all these people in the first three minutes but they should have at least done it again in the second half hour or perhaps some onscreen graphics identifying them.)
Here's a quick honest opinion on the bands immediately after watching the show. I guess The A&R Lady is not from Texas because if she is, she should know that Denton is a longtime music hotbed built around a strong college scene and the music deptartment at Northeast Texas State University. However, their entry, Ben Zephyr, rocked but was pretty unremarkable. I was excited to finally get to see The Applicators but I was a little dissapointed. They rocked but the sound was all over the place. Again, it could be the recording. I know the guitar player lost either her guitar cord or her amp shut off during her lead break but she covered it well and came back smiling. I have no opinion on Makeshift because I could not hear them. I think Strutmore suffered the same fate. Silverleaf did their same steady rock. Nothing more, nothing less. I have never been able to get into Deep Ella and I agree with the label guy on Anubis' tone. The guy from Dallas who's band bailed on him did great. Next Best Thing was fun but Glass Intrepid got my vote. Twice, in fact.
The web site voting does not even require a cookie much less an email verification so it's obvious it will have no real bearing on who wins. Or it shouldn't anyway. However, here is a note I got from one of the bands. "For those of you in Houston, tune in to KNWS 51, this Sunday, at 1:30 p.m., to watch us on Unsigned. At the end of the show, you'll be given instructions on where to vote. Please, only one vote per person, as the show will be tracking where the votes come from, and if it looks like there's tampering, bands could get disqualified. For those in Houston, watch the show, and help us get on Buzzfest. For those outside of TX, you can still check out the website at www.unsignedrock.com . Thanks so much for the support". I only voted twice, just to see if I could. I hope this doesn't affect Glass Intrepid's standing. I guess they are tracking IP numbers but I can't see the legitimacy of the online vote without the precautions I mentioned above. So overall a good show with good bands and decent production.
The follow up: The winning band will play at Buzzfest for 94.5 The Buzz. They will also get studio time at Sugar Hill Recording Studios, a guaranteed audition for Unsigned when it's picked up nationally, and at least one other prime gig, such as the Budweiser stage at sporting events, concerts, etc.
The live audience, judges and TV/internet viewers will vote for the band that deserves to win. The live audience voted at the filming of the finale, April 2 along with the judges. The TV viewers will be able to vote immediately after Unsigned airs on KNWS 51, Sunday, April 17, at 1:30 p.m. Scoring is comprised of 25% live audience vote, 25% judges vote, and 50% TV viewer vote. The winning band will be announced on 94.5 The Buzz, Monday, April 18, so stay tuned.
Pete Omlin has become well known around Houston for is music promotions such as Houstonpalooza and Oozeball and teamed up with Vince Richards, program director at the Buzz, Silver Eagle Distributing/Budweiser, and Sugar Hill Studios to put together a worthwile hour of Texas music on TV. The hosts are Carrie Milbank, who was most recently seen co-hosting the NFL Network’s NFL Cayman Challenge and reporting for NFL Films' Under the Helmet with Ron Pitts on Fox, and A.D., currently a DJ for Sirius Satellite Radio and 94.5 The Buzz. The judges are Don Jantzen(The Buzz DJ), Music Director and DJ for The Buzz; Joanne Grand(The A&R Lady),Senior Director, Rock Formats, Jive Records; and Paul Nugent(The Label Guy) Artists Manager and Owner of Indy label Brando Records and also manages Blue October on Brando/Universal Records.
Follow up to the follow up: Glass Intrepid Wins!
peace
Mark
Posted by mlandrum at 03:34 | Comments (0)
17, 2005
Entry Numero Uno - Blogs, Rudz, & other New Stuff
Welcome to the blog! Everyone has one. Ian has one, my sister has one, Kevin Smith has one with a little too much information but I can't stop reading them so maybe I'll give it a try. We'll see...we'll see...
I worked all weekend installing this cool new php photo gallery database. I'm getting real good, I think I only had to re-install it three times.
http://houstonbands.net/cpg132/
I wasted a lot of time trying to get the look to match my site and I think it turned out all right. I may tweak it once more. Really it only took me one day. But then I had to finish up the pics to put in it on Sunday.
It is currently loaded with pics from Rudz featuring The Buddhacrush & Vibe Committee. Great show. I got to meet Mary Lee too! She's The Buddhacrush's manager. She was fun, as were the bands.
The photo database is also currently accepting new members so if you have a few pics to post check it out. It also takes audio and video but I'm not ready to let that cat out of the bag yet.
Lemme know what you think about the pics, there's a big smudge on my lens if you look close on a few. So these are not the best I've done but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for my already obsolete digital camera for next time. And yes, there will be a next time. I did two weekends in a row with South By Due East and The Rudz show. Too bad I couldn't make the Tsunami benefit but I had to deal with a faulty hard drive. Always fun, that is.
Look for more site announcements soon. Thanks to my helpful brother we've got just about everything squared away for another ramping up of features on HoustonBands.Net. Like the new Search by Band box on the search page. http://houstonbands.net/search.html
Maybe I'll post something to the Certified Hobo category soon...
peace
Mark
Posted by mlandrum at 05:28 | Comments (1)