Well he does know how to play in his way. I think that was a kind of morphed Italian folk song, or maybe a riff from one. I do hope I can get Jolene up onto a pole and have her fly around while she plays rhythm guitar. What honey? NO? HELL no? oh. okay...
Look, it's American Idol. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
i thought it showed promise. i was anticipating it getting going, when it ended. I liked the part i saw, though im not sure about the flyers. is part of his talent the production of the act? i guess it must be, but still it felt to me that it never really got going
Don't tell the judges, but that stuff just falls out of Lee Oskar Harmonic Minor harps. You have to try not to play it. I don't know what to think about the girls on the poles, but then, I never know what to think about girls on poles, though it seems to be becoming more main stream.
Im not familiar with Italian folk or , Italian music in general. This could have been based off a famous Italian tune. In listening to it, bearing all that in mind, I agree with 'super bee'---------------"i was anticipating it getting going"
I watched this and 3-4 other videos he has. I tend to listen to the playing, regardless of theatrics. He never really connected any dots.
I've seen videos of him playing on the streets. I think they were better than this particular performance. On the street he was using a loop pedal which let him build a fuller sound.
For people interested in harp boxing/loop pedal harp, there is a new subreddit focussing on it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/beatboxHarmonica/
Here is the video someone posted there that I saw...
The best part of this thread is that I got to click on Rontana's link and see some wonderful wood carvings. Nice work Ron. ---------- Tom Halchak Blue Moon Harmonicas
Thanks Tom . . . I keep thinking I need to do one of an old school harp player. Still trying to wrap my head around it. ---------- Ron Marr Custom Wood Carving
My compliments Ron, I had no idea. I used to do macrame, and moved on to hand build earthenware ceramics way back when. Music took the front seat along the way. Since I've been on the road in a travel trailer I've sort of discovered I have a fair hand at remodeling the interior. Wife is the idea gal and I'm the do-er. I should put a photo album together to put on our FB page. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
AGT and/or BGT is a show that doesn't always have the best representation of a pure approach, but is more interested in effect.
Harmonica at the level that we here understand it is still a far cry from the general public and their appreciation of that pureness.
I was contacted by a low level producer for AGT asking me to recommend one of my harmonica students for an audition for the show....while none of my students rose to the level of what they might consider, I did put them in contact with ***someone*** who does have something unique to offer as far as harmonica. That person did submit an audition tape....have not heard back from this producer yet as to whether the audition tape got this person a spot on a live audition stage....if it happens, will let you guys here know about it. ---------- The Iceman
he said I really believe Im the best in the world....to me that was totally ridiculous....let him cut heads with some great players.....he will change his mind
TV shows have to answer to the advertisers to generate revenue through audience share, so the emphasis is put on hype in an effort to keep general audiences watching no matter how good or bad the performance. Take away the lighting effects, the sway bar, the audience and judges comments and applause and there isn't much left.
Here is the same guy again on a video that just popped up in my video feed. I think Big Brother is watching. 6.4 million views. It is more of the same. Go figure.
I was in Clarksdale a few years ago and a European guy was at the Ground Zero jam. He was dressed someplace between a biker and a cop and was supposedly a killer harp guy. While he knew a few bends, he was seemingly very limited in his chops. He jumped around a lot and bent over at the waist when he was soloing and kind of reminded me of Spinal Tap if there'd been a harp player in that gem. In the 80's and 90's I was a 2nd position player only, and while I did so with enthusiasm, it only got me so far. In that era I was jumping around and doing sort of a pale imitation of Howlin' Wolf although I didn't realize it then.
These reality shows are not reality. Taylor Hicks won some years ago and he was instantly on a treadmill for several years. I don't know what he's up to now but I wonder if it was a real benefit to win Idol and then get sucked into the Machine. Personally I like what we're doing these days. We go where we want and play where we can. Freedom. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
Taylor Hicks disappointed me. I was hoping that he was going to make it cool to be a nicely groomed, gray haired harmonica player. It would have given me an opportunity to ride his coat tails on the music scene, being a nicely groomed, gray haired harmonica player. Alas, it didn't work that way.
FWIW, the original video was boring. Clearly, Italy's Got Talent is an untruth.
I was just contacted by the AGT producer regarding the audition video of the person I had recommended. While blown away by the musical talent, it was all about the "visual" for this particular project, so she didn't feel this example was a good fit for television (no pole dancing girls gyrating in the background, etc).
She also sent me the full clip of Moses Concas' performance, which is a lot longer than the one available on youtube and posted above. After that weird performance, Simon kinda ripped him for being more flash than substance, told him he waited that whole performance for something to get started and it never did, and that he wouldn't have a chance at moving into the next round.
Howie was impressed with the beat box/harmonica combo, but also agreed that it was more of a novelty than real talent.
So, there you have it. All about the visual first, music talent second for AGT.. ---------- The Iceman
