Next Great American Band: The Clark Brothers Win
By Inga Hansen
Now I know why The Next Great American Band was so secretive about the
"special guests" appearing at Friday night's finale. They didn't have any.
Apparently a show that pulls in 2 ½ million votes doesn't pull in a lot of
A-list talent, even when there are holiday releases aplenty to plug. The
viewers may have been low this season but not the talent uncovered by NGAB.
The three finalists included The Clark Brothers, a trio of siblings who
earned their stripes playing alongside their preacher father in tent
revivals across the country; Sixwire, a 40-something down home rock band
with unrivaled harmonies; and Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, a 12-piece
band that's hails from nowhere near Denver (it's the singer's first name).
The finale's special performances included NGAB rejects The Likes of You and
North Mount followed by a Christmas montage featuring the 12 final bands in
a variety of configurations complete with Santa hats and fake snow confetti.
"Next up the judge's hit the stage." This is when you know a show is
struggling to fill its one-hour time slot. Sheila E.'s performance of "The
Glamorous Life" was a little like walking into McDonalds only to see the
store manager running from register to register because all his employees
called in sick at the last minute. She ended her performance by shouting,
"Thank you all. Good night!" But wait, there's still 45 minutes to go.
The Clark Brothers were the first of the three finalists to perform. Their
quiet rendition of "You are Still the Same" sent chills down my spine. These
guys are single-handedly bringing the mandolin back. Where The Clark
Brothers offered pure emotion and unpretentious charm, fellow finalists
Sixwire brought good old rock and roll fun to the show when they hit the
stage with "The Last Time."
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra performed "Vehicle." (Did they not read
my last blog? It was a nay on the raunchy, innuendo laden '70s rock
anthems.) The song ended, the crowd went crazy and announcer Dominic Bowden
stepped in to say, "Great Job guys. The results are in, and Denver is out!"
Ouch.
And then there were two. Sixwire and The Clark Brothers were my top choices
from day one, and it turns out all those phone calls paid off. In the end,
Ashley, Austin and Adam Clark with their modest charms and unconventional
lineup took the top prize. The brothers closed the show with the original
and very catchy, "Jesse James," featuring vocalist Ashley on the fiddle.
If you missed them on this run, I'm hoping The Clark Brothers will get a
chance to catch more eyes as guests on the upcoming season of American Idol.
Now that would be a special performance worth in tuning in for. See you all
again in 2008!