I think Storm is just a raging egomaniac who “acts” every song like she’s in a road production of Rent, has only an average voice with a limited range and chops and who probably couldn’t name three Motorhead songs to save her own life. I know it’s a very subjective thing but her overly self-conscious facial expressions drove me up the wall. She’s not showing emotion, she’s “showing emotion.” I also never liked the way she tried to play up the sex kitten thing all the time – telling Tommy she likes to get spanked and the like. What does that have to do with being a singer? I hope she goes back to doing internet porn and gets over herself a lttle bit.
Dilana always seems like a natural to me, never seems like she’s faking it and I think she has a better voice. She certainly has better stage presence. I can’t believe so many people have bought into this utterly contrived villain edit they’ve been giving her. Now people on TWOP are accusing her of faking her leg injury. Give me a break.
I don’t know… I think Storm’s performance of “Wish you were here” was pretty legitimate emotion wise. I had enjoyed Dilana up to the last few weeks (and I don’t watch the BS Monday show or the lame wrap ups) I found her performances more and more trite, and off the mark. She has been flat more than enough times to set my teeth on edge and last nights performance was the pits… On the other hand I have been enjoying Toby more and more… he is infectious fun.
So I just listened to Storm Large give an interview (on Rock101), and low and behold she said that Lukas is the favorite, but Toby was picking-up steam.
I’m pretty sure everybody knew that Storm was next to leave, even before the performances…hence rocking with Navarro, giving her mad props for how terrific her original song was, etc. Now she can go on with being her own awesome self. I’ve already informed mr.stretch that we will be going to see her if she comes back home to the Northwest.
Magni seems to have realized he doesn’t want to front this band and is slacking off a little. His original was a little heavier than I like now, and not really memorable. I still would like to see him more in his own element to decide if I like him outside of the show.
Toby’s name should be Tigger. I don’t think he’s a great singer; however, Supernova could use some energy so maybe they should grab him. His song was catchy, but that doesn’t mean it was good.
I did not like the original that Lukas did–couldn’t understand most of the lyrics, didn’t like the music. I hate watching him on stage. I have disliked him from the beginning and nothing he’s done has changed my opinion of him.
Dilana is great singer and performer—I would pay to watch her. But that’s all she is—a front person, not a band member. If Supernova had the chops to write good music, Dilana would be a great inclusion to the band. Unfortunately, Supennova’s original songs are not so good—they need a real song-writer, which lets Dilana out. Unless they are ready to tour a year, make a little money, and then pack up the band, in which case either Lukas or Dilana will be fine for the band.
I agree that Supernova badly needs a songwriter but none of these contestants have really knocked me out in that area. Some have delivered passable originals but none of them are exactly Kurt Cobain (or James Hetfield or Axl Rose). I think Zayira’s original was probably the best of the bunch but it was a totally different genre. Lukas’ wasn’t bad. He has the swagger they want and he’s young enough to be controllable. He probably does have a shot. Magni would be a decent choice too, but I thnk he just wants to get back to his own band and his family back in Iceland.
Hmmm… Storm, from what I can tell, has been doing the rock chick thing for some time. I see a little Chrissy Hynde in her… nothing wrong with using your sexuality; it’s part of the package. If it’s all you have it would grate tremendously.
Dilana, on the other hand, is trying on the role of “rawker.” IDo yourself a favor and check out what she was up to before the show. Abysmal lyricist. Personally, I think she’s trying way too hard.
And it’s not as if she isn’t giving them ammo to work with regarding the villain edit. People who’ve had torn calf muscles describe it as one of the most painful injuries you can have… it totally immobilizes you. And she’s hopping around doing kicks? Granted, she never claimed to have torn the calf muscle, Brooke Burke said that. I just the feeling that each hop is communicating “HEY. I’M HURT AND I’M STILL ON STAGE GIVING IT MY ALL. AREN’T I BRAVE?” I think she’s milking the injury/sympathy card a bit.
I do agree that Storm got the most out of this - maximum exposure and she gets to continue her own career without inhaling the suckitude that is, and will be, Supernova.
I will say, despite the utter tweeness of “Do You Now,” Dilana was quite cute in her pre-Supernova days. Looks like she’s been smoking a carton a day and skipping baths ever since…
I don’t get this criticism at all. Lukas Rossi doesn’t act? Did you see him do ‘Creep’? Dilana isn’t acting? Mick Jagger’s not acting when he struts around the sttage like a rooster?
Ever see David Bowie do his thing? Or Alice Cooper?
Rock stars of this genre are showmen. The good ones know how to act in ways that amplify the emotion or message in the song. The bad ones act inappropriately. Storm is a great singer, not because of her vocal range (although that’s good), or her power (although that’s good too), but because she can deliver a song emotionally. When she sang ‘Wish you Were Here’, you could just feel the pain in her voice. Jason Newstead was crying - crying for a lost friend, but Storm delivered the song in a way that brought those emotions to the surface. A lesser rocker might have just strutted around with a grin while singing it (Patrice, anyone?). Storm knew how to sing it. Likewise, when she did ‘Changes’, you could just feel the wistfulness and longing that the song imparts. On the other hand, ‘Suffragette City’ was all about attitude, and she delivered that - in spades. She’s just an awesome rock performer.
Neither can I. On the other hand, Dilana can’t name three songs by The freaking WHO, and thinks Cheap Trick is a punk rock band.
I think what you’re seeing is someone who’s made a living as a live stage performer, and who is unused to TV. To get the emotion across to an audience hundreds of feet away, you have to exaggerate. That’s why stage actors tend to EMOTE! on screen. ACTING!
So Dilana, who had never heard The Who, is a natural, but Storm loses points for not knowing Motorhead? Dilana, who just a couple of years ago was doing Euro-pop love songs, is a natural, but Storm, who has been singing in rock clubs with her own band for 15 years, isn’t?
Well, Sam. it’s all subjective and that’s how they strike me. I did spend something like 15 years palying guitar for and sometimes fronting hard rock/metal bands myself so I look at them through the same lens I used to apply to people who auditioned for my own bands and draw on the same instincts. Storm - to me (and this is very subjective) just doesn’t seem like someone who’s really knows the genre. Dilana does. Lukas does. Magni does to a certain extent. Toby is a good singer but I don’t see a headbanger in him. I never saw that in Ryan either.
I know that everybody is affected to some degree but Storm just screams “theater” to me rather than serious musician. If I was looking to hire a singer for my own band, I’d take Dilana for sure (even though there’s a lot of bias in the genre against female performers).
The weird thing is, the first time I saw this show I had exactly the opposite opinions. I hated Dilana and was more impressed by Storm. Go figure. So much of this kind of thing comes down to drawing huge conclusions about personalities from what is really very little data. It’s kind of like how I hate Derek Jeter just because he always has that smug expression on his face, but everything I read about him says he’s actually a pretty cool guy, not an asshole at all.
::shrug:: I think we all sometimes feel irrational visceral dislikes for celebrities or public personalities we’ve never met in our lives. Who know why? Maybe some people subconsciously remind us of other people we didn’t like or something.
Your certainly welcome to your own opinion. Mine is no more valid than yours is.
Okay, since I’ve already exposed myself as a fanboy of a bleemin’ reality show, I might as well post a little ‘Rockstar’ news…
Storm Large was interviewed by Dave Navarro the other night (Link to the MP3 of the show). She said that Dave’s management company came to her right after she left the show, with all sort of plans for her and Dave to work together. Starting with recording ‘What the Fuck is Ladylike’ tomorrow, and releasing a CD single of it next week. More projects to follow.
Also, she announced that she will be on the Supernova tour, fronting House Band (that’s the house band’s name, btw - ‘House Band’). They’ll be opening for Supernova, and at least one other rocker will be with her fronting House Band.
Finally, Storm’s going to be singing on ‘Ellen’ on Monday, which is apparently the start of her making the ‘rounds’ of various talk shows and venues. Someone is seriously working hard to promote her. I suspect she’s going to be pretty big.
In other news, Ryan Star has recorded an entire album with House Band, which will be released on the internet next week. It’s supposedly a mix of cover songs and originals. I fully expect that this will kick serious ass. Not just because of Star, but because House Band is seriously, seriously good. I expect they’ll be recording full versions of some of the songs he did did on the show that were well received (“Losing my Religion”, “Paint it Black”, etc).
Star said in an interview that as soon as he left the show, Mark Burnett came to him and said that he really liked what he was doing, and wanted to be involved in his career. Hence the album with ‘House Band’.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that the ‘winner’ of Rock Star Supernova winds up less successful than the last round of ‘losers’.
BTW, that interview with Navarro is really fun to listen to. Lots of dirty talk between them, some good zingers back and forth, and Navarro really slammed Supernova for not letting her front them once before giving her the book. (His words: “F*ck those guys. They can go suck a dick.”)
At first, Storm doesn’t answer her phone, and Dave tees off on her a bit. A instant-message came through from a fan, sayiing, “Why didn’t you get on Ryan Star’s case for the same thing?” Navarro: “Because Storm can take it.”