on the not-so-great eight (part one)
okie dokie… we’re down to eight gals and we’re going to get rid of two more tonight… i’m going to pick the two that will leave right now, before they perform and they are… (drumroll)… Lacey and Siobhan… alright… now we’ll see how they actually perform… it’s going to be a tight schedule if they plan on getting all eight in one hour… and no chit chat from Ryan… off we go…
EIGHT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH
now playing: Ladies Night – Kool & The Gang
Katie Stevens… leading off with a Kelly Clarkson tune… never really a good move… but these silly contestants always insist on doing this… Katie has a much manlier voice than Kelly… and the arrangement is significantly slower than i remember Breakaway, but it’s been a while… yeah, so, not the strongest vocal and a little on the sleepy side for me… Randy says listen, um… the song was a little too big for you… indeed… didn’t work… Ellen, wearing a shirt cut from the lining of a picnic basket, says it was a younger song, but she didn’t really feel it… no personality… Kara says that she has a voice for radio… not a face for radio… she needs to figure out who she is… Simon says that she seems confused because she has taken the advice, but she still doesn’t know who she is… A for effort though…
Siobhan MAGNUS VER MAGNUSON… is singing a surprise song for her dad, the nine-time world’s strongest man champion, House of the Rising Sun by The Animals… what an odd choice for an odd little girl… are these the same guys who sing that Big Bad Wolf song? I love that song… it’s probably someone else… of course, now i haven’t really paid attention to this performance, but it seemed to be alright… she actually had a good vocal this time around… it was kind of creepy, but it worked… i shouldn’t have picked her… Randy says it was a hot one… Ellen name drops the city of New Orleans and says it was really good… Kara says that she really liked the acapella on the front… (and the party in the back?)… Simon gives her a little bit of a smackdown, telling her that it was kind of weird and lacking a moment…
Lacey “The Token Red-haired Gal” Brown… singing The Story, by Brandi Carlile… okay… i’ve never in my life heard of this song… Lacey is sitting off on the side of the stage and singing as if she’s telling us a secret… she’s got those bedroom eyes… and i suppose that it was a pretty good performance, definitely suited her vocal, but it seems slightly boring and a tad bit squeaky there towards the end… overall though it was perfect for her… Randy says he loves the crack in her voice and it was her best… Ellen agrees… Kara agrees – she’s back on her path… Simon says that he didn’t like the song, but she sang it really well… possibly forgettable though…
Katelyn Epperly… singing Carol King’s I Feel the Earth Move… and she’s moved into the 70s as she’s standing and wiggling in front of a keyboard… this is a bad performance… seriously, bad… i don’t even think that keyboard is plugged in… she’s just posing and the vocal really isn’t that good and she’s out of breath and she really did just lose control… what a shame… that was wretched… Randy says, uh… it wasn’t the right vibe… Ellen references her boff last week calling a piano a guitar and says it wasn’t enough… Kara says it felt like she was just going, going, going through the motions… (sorry early 90’s Smitty moment)… LESS CORNY? she went the wrong way… Simon says that he likes her hair… that’s about it… it was like a request night at a local bar…
now playing: Single Ladies – Beyonce
DiDi Benami… oh, a Fleetwood Mac song… that’s a risk… funny how i can sing the lyrics, but not know what the song is called… she’s playing the guitar… the actual guitar… and she’s bathed in pink overhead lights… and they’ve given her the split camera view of The Carpenters or something else from the 70s… Brianna? is that it?… why are all the songs so slow and sleepy tonight?… she did a really good job, but really, i thought she might have passed out before it was over… Randy says it probably wasn’t her best, but it was better than last week… Ellen says yes in-DIDI… then she quotes Chumbawumba… Kara says it was one of her favorite moments of the year… Simon agrees, noting that it was head and shoulders above the rest of the girls tonight…
Paige Miles… singing – did he say Charlie Chaplin? is it a silent performance? no… Smile… she’s skewing Willard Scott old on this one… very subtle background music… it’s pretty much acappella and she’s really not holding it together very well… wonder if the monitor is off… something is really off… and, yes, it’s her vocal… really bad performance – even worse than Katelyn’s… should’ve gone with a silent production… Randy giggles and says that it didn’t work at all it was like they were at a banquet… Ellen says that it didn’t shine at all and it was uninspiring… Kara says you had to know that sucked, right? (in so many words)… Simon repeats that it was horrible and an awful arrangement… a “peanut” performance… she’s not smiling now…
Crystal BoSAWX… ugh, Tracy Chapman… pulEEEZE… give me one reason to not fast forward this crappy song… so, she’s got an electric guitar with an amp onstage and she’s doing a great job with the vocal… it’s still a miseable song, but she has just performed it better than i’ve ever heard it before… that’s the best of the night… Randy says this is what the show is about, it was hot… Ellen asks for a thesaurus, and sticks with amazing… Kara says that it was a great song choice and it was exciting… “yay”… Simon says that she’s definitely going to make it through… she’s got confidence and it’s hers to lose…
Lilly “Tinkerbell” Scott… Patsy Cline? Crazy perhaps? love that song… let’s see… oh… I Fall to Pieces… good song, too… this is apparently the Marilyn Monroe version of it… oh and is that an electric banjo? no, probably just a toy… are we really supposed to believe that they’re playing these instruments?… focus on the vocal though… that’s pretty dang cool… i’m sold on that… i liked it… she’s a weird looking gal though… Randy says that she’s in the zone… Ellen says she loves her… Kara says it was contemporary… Simon says she’s brave, but it didn’t have the wow factor…
AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…
now playing: Home – Michael Buble
now, this is a tough one to call… if it’s based on the performances, then Katie, Katelyn, and Paige are really in trouble… since personality is involved, Lacey is possibly in the mix as well… and Katie is probably safe in that regard… so, against my preliminary picks and going with Katelyn and Paige… what say you, dear readers?…
peace… love… bdg…

As House of Heroes, the group released their debut album, What You Want Is Now, via Vanishing Point Records. The album was produced by Plankeye’s Scott Silletta and caught the attention of Toby McKeehan, who signed them to Gotee shortly after the release.
Which brings us to last year and the release of The End Is Not the End, an epic journey offering a unique perspective of war over the backdrop of rock and roll. One of my personal favorites from last year, the album takes the group’s sound to the next level and offers fans something palpable to hang on to, touching on the many emotions related to the subject matter and exploring the many facet of musicianship the group has to offer.
This year, House of Heroes has kept their feet on the throttle as they’ve been dropping EPs to keep us enjoying the music year round. After a special Christmas single – Silent Night – the group released a three song EP called The Acoustic End that provides a fresh take on three of the tunes from their latest album, including the aforementioned “If” with its Beatle-esque song structure.
And later this week, on the heels of the big debuts of Rock Band: The Beatles at the