JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Nashville Star!

Hey Boys and Girls! It is that time of year again! Nashville Star starts a new season tonight! 10:00 West Coast Time. They usually air the episode again later same night. Maybe one of our own will again claim that fame!!! Tune in and Vote!

I've seen the first two episodes and have been disappointed by it this year. I felt the first episode was ridiculous in that the two most interesting male artists were trashed and JPF member Tim LaRoche was voted off before he even had a chance to get a single vote. What the hell is the point of having someone on the show and then not even allowing the public to vote on them? They pulled that crap last year with 1 contestant (the likewise ripped off Jewels Hanson who was among the best female artists that night as well) and now they doubled the injustice this time around. The judges this year are the worst and most clueless and pre-biased of any season. The guy from Alabama may be a hall of famer as an artist, but as a judge he's embarrasingly bad. Anastasia is the same genius who trashed the obviously superior Chris Young the first 3 weeks until it was so undeniable he was the best on the show she had to save face and jump on his bandwagon as if she'd been there all along.

They suggest that they have no prior knowledge or agenda, but then they reference during the show (before everyone has performed) that someone is definitely "safe" for weeks to come. Gosh.. really? Doesn't sound very open or unbiased to me.

Seriously.. this show has so much potential and after at least moving a little forward last season they've regressed. It's too bad the contestants aren't allowed to actually compete for the public, but instead have to be humiliated by judges with blatant bias against them before they're given a shot. I guarentee you that Tim LaRoche would NOT have been voted off in the first week had he been given a chance. I also think their trashing of Dustin Wilkes in the first week led to his losing the second week. Then they trashed week 1's best performer JPF member Kasey Musgrave the worst I've ever seen ANY contestant trashed on the show. I challenge anyone to watch that performance and the one from week 1 with an open mind and say she deserved the trashing. She's definitely got a traditional country style which seems like poison to the judges. Ack. She's a young girl with amazing talent and she hardly deserved the short sighted abuse. And it was like a gang thrashing. Ack ack ack.

The other JPF member, Meg Allison hasn't been trashed yet but I am sure it's coming. Here's how I would have ranked the first two weeks peformances:

Week 1:

1. Kasey Musgrave
2. Dustin Wilkes
3. Whitney Duncan
4. Meg Allison
5. Angela Hacker
6. Tim LaRoche
7. David St. Romaine
8. Rickiejolleen
9. Joshua Stevens
10. Zac Hacker

Week 2:

1. Zac Hacker (he went from dead last to best of season)
2. Whitney Duncan
3. David St. Romain
4. Kasey Musgrave
5. Meg Allison
6. Joshua Stevens
7. Angela Hacker

Unless the fan base is outraged over the abuse that Kasey got, she'll probably be gone. They seem to love the side story of the brother/sister combo. Zac was TERRIBLE in week one but I give him credit for the shows best performance in week two. I am curious which person shows up next time. If I had to sign one of these artists today, I'd sign Kasey. At her age she's an amazingly polished talent. I think Whitney Duncan may be the real deal too. I like Meg Allison but not sure she's at the same level after the first two weeks. The females are far superior to the males this year, but since most voters on this show are women I doubt they'll get a fair shake in the voting, but we can only hope the best rise to the top. It's just sad that 2 of their 10 didn't even get a chance to compete. What a wasted opportunity for everyone.

One this is certain to this point.. there's no Chris Youngs or Buddy Jewels in this crowd. Kasey and Whitney and the good (versus bad) Zac Hacker seem early on to the be the only ones close to those guys. Hopefully after week 3 someone will establish themselves. By week 3 last year it was already over and Chris Young was clearly the winner.

Brian

Wow.. was that friggin AWFUL tonight! It was probably the worst episode of Nashville Star EVER. It was so bad that really there was only 1 decent performance and a couple mediocre ones.

Once again they voted off the wrong person, but this time it was easily predictable. They intentionally sabotaged Kasey Musgrave by giving her the worst and most unfair reviews I've ever seen on a show that is know for lousy reviews. (Like last season when Anastasia constantly trashed Chris Young). Kasey is definitely young and needs stage presence, but her voice was dead on and tonight half the singers sounded like bad American Idol auditions. On a very terrible night, here was the ranking:

1. Zac Hacker
2. Angela Hacker
3. Meg Allison
4. Joshua Stevens
5. David St. Romain
6. Whitney Duncan (top candidate to worst by far).

Zac was the ONLY performer who looked like he wanted to be up there. Angela was a deer in the headlights and took a song that's almost impossible to ruin and made it average. Meg started off so timid I could barely hear her voice and she was flat half the time. Joshua proved he has a weak voice with no power behind it at all (but at least he was on key) and he had zero charisma. David St. Romain is a terrible rock singer but that seems to be what he really wants to be.. ack... and Whitney gave the worst live performance I have ever seen on the show's history (and there's been some really terrible ones previously). The complete trainwreck this show is turning into is embarrassing. The judges are so terrible I can barely even watch them. (The exception is Jewel who is the only one with any class or talent in the bunch). The insipid favoritism and bias is sickening. Why doesn't Anastasia just sign the people she wants and stay the hell away from the show. Her attempt to save face for Whitney after that heinously bad performance was a disgrace even for her. Tell it like it is. And the guy from Alabama.. does he have a single intelligent thought in his brain? He needs to go back to signing.. something he actually has a talent for. And Blake Shelton? His attempt to be funny by being a creepy male chauvinist has worn very thin. If it's not an act, then he's a classless loser. If it is an act, he needs a new one.

I really feel sorry for the kids on this show. They deserve better. And I feel even worse for the 3 really good peformers who are already off the show clearly because they didn't fit the biased agenda.

They are making American Idol and Rockstar look REALLY good right now.

Sad.

Brian

Well,
Here we go again. I did watch the first two shows. I thought the girls were a lot more appealing than the guys. Last night I thought the better of the last two contestants was eliminated. I didn't write down names but wasn't it Kasey Musgrave?

The guys do have their assets but the songs may not be helping them show their best stuff. If that is their best stuff maybe they need more work.

Angela Hacker and the girl from Chicago are at this time the best of the bunch.

Will one of them win? To be sure they all may not be up to the best the Artists we have seen over the decades.

Randy Owen seems to think he is a high Priest and now an expert in the music business. His comments were way out of line in some cases. I guess he is trying to be helpful. And on it goes.

Ray,

We seem to agree on most this year. Kasey was better than the remaining singers (not performers) and Tim LaRoche was the best performer in terms of charisma and stage presence and they didn't even allow him to get in front of the voters for a chance. Zac Hacker was terrible the first week, actually pretty good last week and this week he was simply the smartest kid in a dumb class. Whitney was actually pretty good the first two weeks but based on her performance this week the bloom is off that rose. I remember last year in week 3 or 4 I think everyone had a lousy week and even Chris was off 1 week of the show. We can only hope that this was the collective off week. Meg Allison, the girl from Chicago, is a JPF member and she's the last one remaining after the other 3 were already kicked off by judges and now in the case of Kasey voted off as well. Sadly, I don't think Meg is anywhere near the talent of Chris Young or Buddy Jewel, the previous 2 JPF members who won the thing. But she's the last JPFer standing.

I can think of a dozen JPF country artists that blow the remaining contestants off the stage. One of them actually auditioned and didn't even make it to the second round. Pretty lame. He was too old for them apparently. I've notice they're going younger and younger. I think Angela Hacker is the only over 30 year old in it right now isn't she?

Brian

Brian,
Wow! I hear what you are saying! Is Anastaisia turning into Simon Cowell with lowcuts? Dude, the show is weird! I was giving them buckets of cred! This year, it's like it is turning into a jive reality 3 ring circus. And the hit the bricks dude at the end, hardly even let's anyone speak a word or two. Only positive note..The Back Up Band Still Smokes!

I remember the names Zac and Musgraves from watching the show but that's about it. I remember the songs "Memphis Women" and "Fried Chicken" and "I Can't Make You Love Me." Whether the names go with the songs I don't know. I remember the songs better than the people.

The most impressive person I've seen on Nashville star was the guy that played the washboard. A web search reveals his name to be Matthew Lindhal. I think he finished 3rd.

I remember last year a guy the words "a man" with "a Nashville Star judge" in the line "I shot a man in Reno" while singing "Folsom Prison Blues." I thought that was cool. He didn't win though (I don't think).

I didn't like that Cotter guy as much as some of the others and I didn't see what was so great about Chris Young. I never saw Buddy Jewel on the show but I've liked the music he's released.

I haven't been wild about Randy Owen on the show but I've been less satisfied with Blake Shelton. One thing I like about Randy is he mentioned songwriters by name the first week I watched.

I guess I like the creative and off the wall more than those who "walk the line."

I've been busy gigging, so I haven't caught the show this year, but if what you're saying about Kasey's treatment is true, it's a damn shame. She performed the same night I did at The Bluebird open mic back in June, and I thought she had something special.
{very nice young lady too!}

I only got to watch a little of the last show but no matter.
When I saw the first show my only thought was "out of twenty thousand auditions this is the best they could find?" It's not that they are awful, I just don't see any "stars" in the group.

hmmm. maybe they should have just hit some of the bars in Nashville and picked ten people.
I will give them a little slack and continue watching to see if anyone begins to shine.

And the reason you watch this trainwreck is...?

EB,

Ironically, Matthew Lindahl is a JPF member who has posted around here himself. He wasn't the best singer that year, but he was clearly the best entertainer.

Kasey at 17 years old is a great young talent. All of the folks that are on there this year have talent, but so far none have established themselves to be something special. They make a big deal claiming that these folks are great songwriters as well as performers, but they only let them do 1 original during the series and that isn't until it's down to 4 or 5 people. And last year, all but 1 of the songs was so awful that it was embarrassing. I only wish they'd mean what they say and let them do as many originals as they want. Even Rockstar let folks do originals more often. AI won't let folks do originals because they don't want to launch a superstar out of a lower end finalist. (Even though it doesn't cost them a dime to let them do it since they make the artists sign away earnings on the songs they perform.. another sad fact on Rockstar and NS). That's only for the TV broadcast though.. (we were concerned but Chris Young said he didn't lose rights, just the broadcast money for the specific shows he performed his original).

Kasey was up for some nominations this year in our awards, but all the songs on her album turned out to be covers. (We don't know that until we get into the final stages of the final rounds). She did mostly traditional songs with Yodeling, but the album was recorded when she was very very young. You could already tell how talented she really was. The judges trashed her so severely compared to all other performers that it was 100% clear they had an agenda and that was to kill her chances right from the start. I remember in the first show Kasey was the one who dared suggest she wasn't afraid of Anastasia. I am sure that tweaked her ego and it was predictable that no matter what Kasey did she was a marked woman from there. And the results bear that out. Sad. Assuming the voting is fair and accurate, at least she got a chance to be voted on. Tim LaRoche wasn't even allowed to be judged by the public which makes it stupid to even pretend he had a fair chance on the show. The judges have NEVER known who would eventually win in the first week and though I am not sure if Tim was the very best on the show, he deserved to show the difference between a seasoned performer and these young kids who aren't.

And why do I watch? I actually really enjoyed the previous 3 seasons I watched. (I missed season 3 while out on the road). JPF had the winners 2 of the years and the 3rd place finisher the other. This year all we have left to root for in JPF is Meg Allison and unless she steps it up, she's not been the best so far (though ironically, she's got the most connection to a traditional country sound even though they suggest she's alternative country... wouldn't that actually be all the Pop Rock country we've seen?). But then no one else has stepped it up to the top yet either.

The other judges at their very worst in previous seasons were far better than the 2 this year. Blake and Randy are simply awful on all levels. Blake is creepy. Randy seems bewildered. Anastasia has an agenda like she had last year. Chris simply was too good for her not to jump on his bandwagon (and I suspect his total domination in voting also made her see the writing on the wall). This year, since no one has stepped it up, she can push her agenda much better. And we all know how great the major label agenda has worked out in recent years right?

Brian

Brian,

This gives me an idea, take JPF to the next level... artists must WRITE their OWN Music, and songs, compete through several weeks against the same competition and all of the votes are tallied up at the end of the season to name a winner. (with a record deal of course) the house bands should be picked and given with a blind fold so everything is on the up and up. and YOU brian Austin Whitney can invite some of your friends from CD baby, and Taxi, to help you judge the competition.

that would fix the problems you have mentioned about nashville star, and what i have noticed with american idol. You could make all the difference... what do you say?

-steve

What I know the people who control the air time would say is that no one wants to see unknown artists doing songs they've never heard. Now, part of the trouble is that these network folks haven't been exposed to the types of people they look for in auditions actually having strong original material. It's understandable. They are trying to cast a show. I don't fault them for using public desires to do so. It's not the best way to do it, but I understand it and know what pressures and forces there are behind it. (We can get all pissed about it.. but this is their job, not their passion.. and when the passion is gone, you make decisions based on probabability of success, not passionate instincts). If you are pitching a show, it's already unlikely enough that anyone will be interested. If you add things like unattractive (but very talented) contestants, that just makes the odds even less they will green light it. If you then add original, unfamiliar songs (something that is always tough no matter how good the songs because few people can hear a lot of new material and instantly like it.. believe me.. we see this problem in our own awards and it makes finding good screeners very difficult) instead of well known hit songs, you've just made it even harder to get a green light. No green light, no show. So most folks take the idea they want to do and then package it in the most easy to understand and accept way for their real bosses who are often the multinational corporation execs who only care about ad buys, market share and stock price. It doesn't make it right, but it's the reality of the situation.

It's hard to get masses to change their minds (or open their minds). Many people have courageously died on the hill trying to force good entertainment down the throats of the masses. Think of all the great TV shows that get cancelled because no one will watch? It happens all the time. Quality does NOT often translate into viewers unless you can cram it down their throat for a very long time. A reality show format (which any music show is going to be) doesn't have 3 seasons to get people interested. It's a sad truth.

Could I put together the greatest music based reality TV show ever done? Yes. Would anyone watch? Who knows. And it's that unknown that means it will be VERY tough to get an open minded network to take a chance on it. PBS may be one thing to consider. I wonder what would happen if PBS had a TV show that became as well known as American Idol? What would the powers that be do about that? We'll probably never know.

Brian

My friend,

I can dream about a day where a coast to coast open mic will give guys like me that big break we all dream of. the paycheck with all those darn zeros, and the lifestyle that encourages trashing hotel rooms and stealing the soap... since you made this dream a reality, i just thought you may be able to make a reality dream...

-steve

As I see it it is really no different than most of the so called Indie radio shows. They say mainstream radio sucks and they are offering new and original Indie artist's. I go listen to the stations and what do ya know, for the most part only the names are different. The music sounds the same as what's on my local FM station.
If you try to pitch something new to them they turn it down and say it is not what is being played on the radio today. You need to sound more like "so and so". They support Indie music as long as it sounds like what the majors are putting out.
Nashville Star seems to be looking for the next star to mold into what we are already listening to. If they were not we would see new and original music being performed on the show.
Can you honestly say the past winners or even losers who got major deals , including Carrie and Pickler from AI, have offered anything new or original to Country music?
But, like Brian says. Who would watch.

I am feeling you Bill.

but as much as i am smelling what youa are stepping in, i am also about ready to set my t.v. on fire and move to a cave. the last time i heard something different was on a prarie home companion. folk music and bluegrass. a guy telling stories. to heck with pop music. that was real.. and of all the people i have met that listen to it i am surprized it isn't more mainstream.

would people watch... yes. would it break records at sweeps week? no.

i always thought survivor should be just that. 15 people dropped off on an island wired with video cameras. 30 days later, the boat comes back to pick up the survivor. (if it is more than one then they share the prize).

yes i may be sick but i am tired of being let down by my cable provider.

-steve

Twangy Bump

I vote for Brian Austin City Limits on kbtc or pbs. Also, for Ecletic and they will play anybody if you have interesting stuff,
KEXP Seattle, streams worldwide. This is the only station I listen to.