| mvdk 19.09.2011 09:16 |
link Queen drummer Roger Taylor was recently in his hometown when he saw a poster that caught his attention. "It said, 'Queen on stage,'" Taylor tells Rolling Stone. "I saw in the very hall where we used to play and there's just the quite bad picture of a band. There are so many of these tribute bands and then there are like orchestral concerts going on featuring music. A lot of these things are not up to scratch and so we want to do it properly."Assembling a tribute tour worthy of an iconic act – a group that remains so popular late lead singer Freddie Mercury was honored on Google's home page a few weeks ago on what would have been his sixty-fifth birthday – is a daunting task. But Taylor thinks he's found an innovative solution to, as he puts it, "keep Queen's music alive." The drummer is enlisting the public's help, putting together an online competition to find the group for Queen Extravaganza, a 2012 trek that will feature a band playing Queen's music combined with unseen footage and a production spectacle. Beginning Monday September 19th, people who think they have what it takes to play Brian May's guitar riffs in "Sheer Heart Attack" or do their best Mercury vocals on "Bohemian Rhapsody" can upload their auditions to link. It's a daring venture, but one that Taylor hopes will become a lasting way to deal with the fact that as Queen's legacy and legend has continued to grow over the last two decades, they've had to try different ways to tour after Mercury's 1991 death. The most successful were the treks they did with Paul Rogers, but Taylor thinks those might be done.Rolling Stone spoke with Taylor about the ongoing love for Queen's music, his own musical future, some of his favorite Queen non-hits, and what fans can expect when the Extravaganza hits the road in 2012. It's a very interesting and daring concept for The Queen Extravaganza, which isn't everything Queen did extravagant? I'm very glad you think that. Also, we thought Extravaganza was the perfect name for something produced by Queen (laughs). Essentially we're producing our own show using our own footage and production values to make a show because let's face it, we're getting a little long in the tooth, but there are an awful lot of tribute bands, some of them good, some of them not good. And we put together something that we felt was purely extraordinary. You mention being long in the tooth, but you guys have still been active as a band and toured with other vocalists. Absolutely, even last week Brian [May] and I did a charity thing for Freddie's birthday, we had Jeff Beck, which was fantastic, and a lot of other guys, the guy from Keane, Tom Chaplin. So we can still do it, but I don't really think I want to travel around the world doing it anymore. And, of course, not having Freddie has always made it difficult for the last 20 years. It's a big hurdle, [but] this is a way of keeping our music alive and doing it to our standards. Will you be involved at all then musically in the Queen Extravaganza? We're putting the show together now, so what I wanted to do is leave sort of places in the show which Brian and myself could roll up and do a turn, maybe if we're starting a run somewhere exciting. So that would be an option, but, in general, this show will not feature a Queen band member. To this point you haven't seen any auditions yet, so which aspects are you finding fascinating? What I'm doing at the moment is actually designing the show, choosing the songs, the song combination, the order of the show, and designing the lights with all our people here. And also, choosing whatever pieces of film and effects we want to use. But, as you say, the actual audition process hasn't started yet. [But] I'm quite convinced that there are tens of thousands of kids, of really talented people, in their bedrooms around the world playing drums, playing guitar, and singing. And I want to find some of those people. And of course we want young people because we're no longer young (laughs). So we'd like really great looking guys to be in this band. Obviously they have to be really good musicians and we're quite convinced that they're out there. Do you envision this as being an ongoing show beyond next year? In an ideal world I do and I hope it's a continuing item. We were a very sort of a global band – North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia. All these things are possible so it could be a never ending tour.Certainly the interest is there, as people can see from the fanfare surrounding Freddie's sixty-fifth birthday. I've gotta admit, Brian and myself, we're constantly amazed it's all over the radio, certainly here in the U.K. We're honored and lucky people still enjoy the music and it still has resonance today. It's a long time down the road.You say you're surprised, but you must be very aware of the interest. You couldn't do the show if there wasn't still such a love for the music out there. Yeah, if we felt that our music had been sort of forgotten or something like that we wouldn't be doing this, it would be a pointless exercise. It's really fulfilling some kind of demand to do that. Not many young people saw Queen live, so this is a chance to do the closest thing and see a very good facsimile. But you toured extensively with Paul Rogers. Yeah, and that was very enjoyable. I like working with Paul. It was never meant to be any more than a temporary thing, but Paul has such a wonderful voice. It was great to do it. It was almost unexpected and it sort of happened organically. I think that phase is finished now. Is there any chance of special shows with him? I wouldn't rule it out. In fact I read the other day Paul said he wouldn't mind doing something. If something came up as special, we could maybe do that, maybe the Olympics or something. But I certainly wouldn't rule it out and he is a wonderful singer, there's no doubt about that. After so many years do you have the perspective to look at it and see why the music is so enduring? It's a very complicated question. One thing we do have now after all these years is definitely perspective and I would say one of the things that contributed to it is we made a lot of different kinds of record; there was a lot of variety and I think there was quality there. I would say it was quality, but I would also say that the variety of our music. It went from hard rock to almost rockabilly to a little bit funky to grandiose. As you've been going through the footage and listening to music are there songs you're developing a new appreciation for? When we made the albums we never made singles, we made the album and then we picked singles. So, at the time I would probably have liked completely different tracks. I want to include non-singles, album tracks; I want to go quite deeply into the catalog. I think there are some real gems that deserve to be in this show so people get a complete spectrum of the band and not just a rerun of the Wembley concert or something. What are a few of the deep tracks you'd like to include in the show? For instance, "In The Lap Of The Gods 1 and 2," nutty things like "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon," "I'm In Love With My Car," going into the catalog really. "You Take My Breath Away," that'll be there. And of course there were some of the later Eighties hits that we had that were bigger hits in Europe, like "Her Kind Of Magic." It'll be a real broad spectrum. Is the footage previously unseen? Some of it's never been seen. There's stuff from as early as 1973, and even earlier. We've even got stuff, a little bit of stuff, from 1969, so very, very early. There's black and white stuff and there's big stuff, there's a lot of moments never seen. |
| Togg 19.09.2011 09:22 |
Well I've got the kit...just maybe not the talent.... |
| Micrówave 19.09.2011 09:39 |
Summary: 1. No more Queen tours, ever. 2. Roger is bored 3. No more Q+PR unless someone else finances it |
| e-man 19.09.2011 09:50 |
Micrówave wrote: Summary: 1. No more Queen tours, ever. 2. Roger is bored 3. No more Q+PR unless someone else finances it can you elaborate number 3? it's obvious that something must have happened between paul and brian... |
| brENsKi 19.09.2011 10:15 |
this is basically xfactor live tour maybe they rename it Q-factor for this one tour? |
| Russian Headlong 19.09.2011 11:41 |
There are already lot of good Queen tribute bands out there, what diifference is this going to make except maybe bigger lighting shows and sound systems. It aint Queen, it aint even Q+PR. This is sounds like another Pepsi/5ive/Robbie Wiliams/X Factor debacle post Freddie. I really enjoyed the Paul Rodgers Tours and Albums and would prefer they do something with him of Jeff Scott Soto rather than this idea it stinks of cash cow again and this time Brian and Roger have to do nothing! I am blessed I got to see Queen with Fred twice, this 'extravaganza' is just a glorified tribute act. |
| mooghead 19.09.2011 12:19 |
If this happens I promise to pile up everything I own related to Queen and burn it in my garden. I will film it and put it on youtube and send Roger and Brian the ashes of all the things they used to be. Better to burn out than to fade away? Not according to Roger. |
| jamster1111 19.09.2011 12:29 |
What the fuck is this? This seems interesting but if this is there idea of a 2012 Queen Tour than this is absolutely absurd. If If you're not in the band, why would any Queen fans give a crap about watching other random Queen fans playing instruments while Roger Taylor is just sitting in the back playing drums? It's basically just asking to put together a Queen tribute band but with Roger on drums. |
| The Real Wizard 19.09.2011 12:36 |
It will create jobs for musicians. I'm in favour of anything that will give talented musicians the recognition they deserve. |
| The Real Wizard 19.09.2011 12:38 |
Jamster, from the article - Will you be involved at all then musically in the Queen Extravaganza? "We're putting the show together now, so what I wanted to do is leave sort of places in the show which Brian and myself could roll up and do a turn, maybe if we're starting a run somewhere exciting. So that would be an option, but, in general, this show will not feature a Queen band member." Maybe after 40 years of touring they're tired of it. That doesn't mean they have to stop working overall. It sounds like they'll just turn up now and again, like at the WWRY musical. |
| brENsKi 19.09.2011 12:46 |
...i can hear the rumbling and grumbling gathering momentum.....the juggernaut of disapproval is rollign towards queenzone.... comments like: "if freddie were alive, they wouldnt do this" "pissing on freddie's memory" "seeling their souls" "no standards, no integrity" and...yes all these comments are valid...but - and there's a big "but"....they have every right to do whatever the fuck they like with the "queen" label..purple, the who, kiss, zep, ..floyd, and many many more have continued despite deaths and revolving door approaches to HR.....so why NOT queen? there's no specific rules that apply to queen and no-one else .it doesnt matter whether we approve - in some respects they're reaching new generations....the xfactor kids will lap this up....established rock band in easy-easy-lsiten-bite-size-pieces...too good to resist but it's like marmite some will love it, some will hate it.....i hate it...so i don't buy it...but i also don't moan like fuck that tesco continues to put marmite on it's shelves along with 10,000 other items i don't like - i just don't buy what i don't like simples |
| tero! 48531 19.09.2011 14:23 |
brENsKi wrote: and...yes all these comments are valid...but - and there's a big "but"....they have every right to do whatever the fuck they like with the "queen" label..purple, the who, kiss, zep, ..floyd, and many many more have continued despite deaths and revolving door approaches to HR.....so why NOT queen? there's no specific rules that apply to queen and no-one else .it doesnt matter whether we approve - in some respects they're reaching new generations....the xfactor kids will lap this up....established rock band in easy-easy-lsiten-bite-size-pieces...too good to resist ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a big "but" to your "but"... You don't see any of those other bands recruiting a tribute band of their own. Can you imagine the criticism The Who, Led Zeppelin, or Pink Floyd would get if they recruited a similar "Extravaganza" to perform as a greatest hits jukebox? I'm not a fan of any of those bands, and I would STILL think it was in poor taste, no matter how much it was their absolute right. |
| Eric Taylor 19.09.2011 14:27 |
Oh! My! God! " Is the footage previously unseen? Some of it's never been seen. There's stuff from as early as 1973, and even earlier. We've even got stuff, a little bit of stuff, from 1969, so very, very early. There's black and white stuff and there's big stuff, there's a lot of moments never seen. "... Oh!!! My Heart Roger!!! |
| Queenman!! 19.09.2011 14:54 |
Eric Taylor wrote: Oh! My! God! " Is the footage previously unseen? Some of it's never been seen. There's stuff from as early as 1973, and even earlier. We've even got stuff, a little bit of stuff, from 1969, so very, very early. There's black and white stuff and there's big stuff, there's a lot of moments never seen. "... Oh!!! My Heart Roger!!! ======================== Smile - Albert Hall 1969???????????? Champions of the World |
| The Real Wizard 19.09.2011 14:59 |
And the 73 footage could just be the KYA and Liar promos. It's looking more and more likely that the earliest live footage of the band is Rainbow 3-31-74. And we're lucky enough to have seen 10 minutes of it, 3 of which are damn good quality. |
| Haystacks Calhoun II 19.09.2011 15:58 |
Dear God, no. |
| jamster1111 19.09.2011 15:58 |
Sir GH wrote: Jamster, from the article - Will you be involved at all then musically in the Queen Extravaganza? "We're putting the show together now, so what I wanted to do is leave sort of places in the show which Brian and myself could roll up and do a turn, maybe if we're starting a run somewhere exciting. So that would be an option, but, in general, this show will not feature a Queen band member." Maybe after 40 years of touring they're tired of it. That doesn't mean they have to stop working overall. It sounds like they'll just turn up now and again, like at the WWRY musical. Well said. Thanks for the clarification. |
| mooghead 19.09.2011 16:10 |
"purple, the who, kiss, zep, ..floyd, and many many more have continued " Yes... as themselves.. playing music in their band... not sanctioning an official tribute band. The idea is horrific and very very sad in every sense of the word. |
| people on streets 19.09.2011 16:11 |
OK. This is it. I will sell my entire Queen collection over the next few weeks. Totally done with this band. Thanks for ruining Freddie's legacy Brian + Roger. |
| jamster1111 19.09.2011 16:26 |
Sir GH wrote: It will create jobs for musicians. I'm in favour of anything that will give talented musicians the recognition they deserve. Does this mean there is a pay? |
| brENsKi 19.09.2011 16:40 |
Tero! wrote: brENsKi wrote: and...yes all these comments are valid...but - and there's a big "but"....they have every right to do whatever the fuck they like with the "queen" label..purple, the who, kiss, zep, ..floyd, and many many more have continued despite deaths and revolving door approaches to HR.....so why NOT queen? there's no specific rules that apply to queen and no-one else .it doesnt matter whether we approve - in some respects they're reaching new generations....the xfactor kids will lap this up....established rock band in easy-easy-lsiten-bite-size-pieces...too good to resist ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a big "but" to your "but"... You don't see any of those other bands recruiting a tribute band of their own. Can you imagine the criticism The Who, Led Zeppelin, or Pink Floyd would get if they recruited a similar "Extravaganza" to perform as a greatest hits jukebox? I'm not a fan of any of those bands, and I would STILL think it was in poor taste, no matter how much it was their absolute right. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ not that big a "but". i accept your point about the "extravaganzas" but in reality the hiring and firing of standins for touring is pretty much the same thing deep purple are a fucking DP tribute band. Paicey is the only original member left. Gillan will kepe that horse flogged at all costs....(and that c*nt was kicked out three times).....Steve Morse? Don Airey - please Kiss? absolute fucking pantomime parody of themselves....and they were pretty much panto to begin with...but they're end of the pier shit now the who? c'mon please. Daltrey doing solo tours of a complete who set. Townsend completely deaf and admitted in interview only last week he can't write songs anymore...but you know what/ the who tribute band will tour with whatever Moon and Ox stand-ins they can find Floyd? deffo a tribute in many respects... waters doing the wall solo? Gilmour doing his solo tour..but including Mason & Wright (til he died)......that was in effect Floyd with four other people in their touring tribute band |
| brENsKi 19.09.2011 16:44 |
people on streets wrote: OK. This is it. I will sell my entire Queen collection over the next few weeks. Totally done with this band. Thanks for ruining Freddie's legacy Brian + Roger. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ it's NOT Freddie's legacy...he died...it's now officially Brian and Roger's baby. they can secure the legacy or fuck it up any way they choose (fucking it up mainly) - but it is their right to do so |
| ole-the-first 19.09.2011 16:50 |
Ain't 'Over the Rainbow' an official tribute band? But anyway, almost all musicians in OtR played in Rainbow, and Jurgen Blackmore is Ritchie's son, so idea of Queen's official tribute band still seems to be just absurdly. |
| The Real Wizard 19.09.2011 16:58 |
jamster1111 wrote: Does this mean there is a pay? ==================== I'd assume so. I don't think I know anyone who would move to LA or wherever to work for X number of months and not get paid.. This widespread mentality of musicians somehow being exempt from fees is a weird one.. |
| Russian Headlong 19.09.2011 17:01 |
oi brenski, don't diss KISS. They are better than ever, with an incredible stage show and back catalogue. The Sonic Boom tour was awesome and Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are better than Peter and Ace. Gene and Paul are still doing it its a shame Roger and Brian cant persuade PR to do another album and tour. |
| Russian Headlong 19.09.2011 18:11 |
Its Ironic that Roger announced this to Rolling Stone. The same magazine which after slagging off Queen in a review wrote to complain to them on the back of an airsick bag if legend is to be believed. |
| The Real Wizard 19.09.2011 20:18 |
It's not mere legend - it happened ! link Possible my favourite Roger moment of all time. |
| Adam Baboolal 19.09.2011 20:44 |
Well, when I saw the email shot with this info, I got excited and thought I could audition. Unfortunately, turns out that it's open to North American residents ONLY. What a shame... And from what I read, yes, there is pay. lol :P Shame that fans here only think of themselves and how it's not their thing. Well, fair enough if it ain't. But, I'm curious to see what comes out of the event and the kinds of people that are chosen from the auditions. Adam. |
| the dude 1366 19.09.2011 23:23 |
Roger was much more positive about Paul than usual. Paul is stuck opening for what's left of BTO and it's clear that Brian and Roger are finding it hard to justify some kind of tour as Queen. So I guess that coud be a feeler. This is disappointing news. I can play the drums really well and can play any Queen song. That doesn't excite me at all. So why would it excite me to see a bunch of other non-Queen members with a big screen of footage of Queen behind them? |
| tero! 48531 20.09.2011 01:54 |
brENsKi wrote: not that big a "but". i accept your point about the "extravaganzas" but in reality the hiring and firing of standins for touring is pretty much the same thing --------------------------------- Err... No it isn't. It's one thing to hire session musicians and continue playing live with them, and an entirely different thing to hire a tribute act of yourself and occasionally get on stage with them when you feel like it. It's all about vanity. It's about wanting to see your own work recreated night after night, when you know you are unable to do it as well by yourself. This is about wanting to tour the world, getting money, and playing a song or two every now and then, but without any creative work or risks involved. The QPR shows were all about taking a karaoke tour on the road, and this is just one step further... The next step is to tour the world with the dvd of the Wembley concert. |
| mike hunt 20.09.2011 02:29 |
people on streets wrote: OK. This is it. I will sell my entire Queen collection over the next few weeks. Totally done with this band. Thanks for ruining Freddie's legacy Brian + Roger. I agree!, Brian and Roger are a bit lost since freddie died, but I blame freddie the most....it's not Brian and roger's fault freddie died. Anyone could make a mistake, get drunk and sleep with the wrong person. We're all human and make mistakes, But freddie knew aids was around, and continued to sleep with everyone...Without Protection...Not a one time mistake, he slept with hundreds of men....no one deserves what he got, but still..................... |
| chromant 20.09.2011 03:36 |
In the end Deacy didi the right thing...oh well he could disapprove those initiatives...but you know money... |
| LapOfTheGods1986 20.09.2011 03:53 |
According to a post on Brian's Soapbox today, it seems he isn't actively involved...I'm not sure if that means he's completely out of it or just that Roger will be at the forefront with this endeavor and Brian will give support when required etc. Not liking this idea very much, I'd MUCH rather see Roger and Brian working together and making more music, with or without another singer...I liked TCR a lot and I wouldn't mind getting something new musicwise from them again...but ah well. |
| cmsdrums 20.09.2011 06:43 |
mooghead wrote: "purple, the who, kiss, zep, ..floyd, and many many more have continued " Yes... as themselves.. playing music in their band... not sanctioning an official tribute band. The idea is horrific and very very sad in every sense of the word. ------------------------------------------------------------- Yup, what he said. |
| cmsdrums 20.09.2011 06:55 |
Will the audition process really jsut be used as a publicity stunt to drum up media coverage? Surely the auditions for the multitude of WWRY bands members and deps that they have had over the years means that the best people are already known to them, and already in those roles? If they pick other people, are those going to be ones that were deemed not quite good enough first time around for the WWRY jobs? If the band ends up being Spike Edney, Neil Murray/Danny Miranda, Jamie Moses, Jeff Scott Soto and Eric Singer/Rufus Taylor I shall have a little chuckle to myself. And if those guys audition and DON'T get a place, will they feel aggrieved at not being considered? i'm sure all of those mentioned (plus some other WWRY house band guys) will be on stand-by for drop outs, emergency cover etc... anyway. This project, out of EVERYTHING we've seen (or not seen!) in the last 20 years upsets and disappoints me most. Given the choice of seeing the WWRY musical or this, I'd go for WWRY every time. At least that isn't 'pretending to be Queen'. |
| splicksplack 20.09.2011 07:15 |
mike hunt wrote: people on streets wrote: OK. This is it. I will sell my entire Queen collection over the next few weeks. Totally done with this band. Thanks for ruining Freddie's legacy Brian + Roger. I agree!, Brian and Roger are a bit lost since freddie died, but I blame freddie the most....it's not Brian and roger's fault freddie died. Anyone could make a mistake, get drunk and sleep with the wrong person. We're all human and make mistakes, But freddie knew aids was around, and continued to sleep with everyone...Without Protection...Not a one time mistake, he slept with hundreds of men....no one deserves what he got, but still..................... In the bedroom were you? Tit. |
| queenUSA 20.09.2011 07:43 |
I'm wondering why North America was singled out for this laboratory ... I can't even get my 2nd batch of remasters here yet (should be any day now, according to Amazon)!! "Almost Queen" - you need to go for it. |
| Eric Taylor 20.09.2011 08:54 |
Sir GH wrote: And the 73 footage could just be the KYA and Liar promos. It's looking more and more likely that the earliest live footage of the band is Rainbow 3-31-74. And we're lucky enough to have seen 10 minutes of it, 3 of which are damn good quality. Well... You dont think that other footage of early 74's exist? You know John S Stuart? He say that a few footages of 60's or early 74' exist... And on the BBC Days of Our Lives, some RARE and never seen before videos appeared... Like the video from the US Tour 74... I dont know... Maybe some material from private collection of Brian or Roger or John... What you think? |
| Ivo-1976 20.09.2011 09:18 |
Pfff. Involved in the start-up of a tribute band. So they don't have to play anymore. Once talented musicians, now only in it for the money. They should retire now before it gets more embarrasing (can't see how). |
| k-m 20.09.2011 10:17 |
Well, I can already sense the commercial success. The Official Queen Tribute Band - well done Rog, even if somewhat self-flattering. Honestly, these guys never fail to amaze me:) And on a more serious note, let's just enjoy whatever is happening this year - the exhibitions, documentaries and Google Doodles - let's enjoy it while it lasts. |
| Sheer Brass Neck 20.09.2011 16:08 |
I'm pretty much in the camp of Innuendo being the end of Queen so I wouldn't support anything like this, but WTF. Some people will think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread because it comes from Queen. If QPL can separate money from people for a concept like this then why not? |
| the dude 1366 20.09.2011 21:39 |
I was always totally defending the QPR thing. But this is just awful. You can't do this, Roger! If you're afraid of going out as Queen there is no reason why you can't call a new band Taylor May (or something like that, no need for debate on name) and hire a damn good singer. Then the real Queen fans will know what you are playing and no one can fault you for using the Queen name. This is an even worse idea than making a reality show to "replace "Freddie |
| john bodega 20.09.2011 21:59 |
On it's own, I find this project no more offensive than any of the retarded crap that's been done since the 90's with regards to Queen music. The shitty Made in Heaven films, working with 5ive, working with Robbie Williams, that stupid fucking Pepsi ad with Pink and Beyonce and Britney, the fucking musical (which was the first inkling I got that Ben Elton has either lost his mind, or was simply had a great team of ghostwriters back in his heyday) - you've got some serious competition, Roger, if you want to top yourself in the bad taste/artistic mess stakes. I did preface this with 'on it's own'. The thing I find most annoying is yeah - Rolling Stone. What the fuck? That rag isn't good enough for me to wipe my arse on. Also - US talent? Way to limit your scope. Why don't they do it in the UK, or Japan? I'm sure those places would pull a crowd (and we all know how good asians are with musical instruments). I don't begrudge anyone who shows an interest in this thing, though. For a lot of them it'd be an opportunity to meet with people they couldn't dream of meeting in ordinary circumstances, to crowds that will (in number, at least) top anything they'll see in their career. *shrug* It really isn't the little people getting it wrong in this instance, it's Roger - seriously ... Rolling Stone... |
| Wijnand 21.09.2011 02:37 |
Don't know what to think of The Queen Extravaganza... Tony Vincent as lead singer... could be interesting.... Or Jeff Scott Soto... Hmmmm... we'll wait and see :-) |
| kosimodo 21.09.2011 05:47 |
I can see Rogers point.. I can spent hours having fun searching youtube for fun Queen covers. link I wouldnt mind seeing him in a concert with Queen music... link Happy can be on the setlist too! En so are there many more.... But.. they allready found the singer.. The extravaganza is over... Next thing he sings is: It's so easy..... link It is indeed so easy! |
| Your Fairy King 21.09.2011 08:25 |
kosimodo wrote: link Initially the idea of the Queen Extravaganza struck me as absurd, but if this guy is in it, I'll be there. |
| john bodega 21.09.2011 08:51 |
That guy singing Somebody to Love is pretty damned good. Would it be too much to ask to get him to replace the vocals on Cosmos Rocks ... ? |
| cmsdrums 21.09.2011 11:33 |
What a great voice - so smooth and controlled, and makes it look easy. HOWEVER, you will sadly have no chance of making the band based on just that - to stand out from the tens of thousands of auditionees any submission will need to stand out on other grounds, including charisma, presence, delivery etc. This chap undoubtedly has the voice, but based on this tape, not the other things they will be looking for |
| GratefulFan 21.09.2011 15:28 |
That Marc Martel guy singing STL sounds Canadian when he speaks. French spelling of Marc makes me a bit suspicious too. It's not completely clear, but I think non Americans may not be eligible, so that might be a problem, if he's a Canuck. |
| GratefulFan 21.09.2011 15:46 |
Ah ha! Same guy I think, from a Canadian Christian band called Downhere, doing Bo Rhap: http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2010/02/bohemian-rhapsody-with-marc-martel-of.html And talking about his influences, including Fred, and singing opera: http://blog.beliefnet.com/gospelsoundcheck/2009/06/downheres-marc-martel-sings-ne.html |
| mvdk 21.09.2011 16:02 |
I mentioned this guy before: link I have all his albums and I can tell you I'm impressed. |
| john bodega 22.09.2011 00:40 |
I wasn't. But best of luck! |
| smilebrian 22.09.2011 06:25 |
Surely Roger will lose interest before this thing sees itself through? Can someone send over a stripper and cocaine to his house to divert his attention? Absolutely diabolically bad. If someone said, "OK, what's the most ridiculously fucked up project the two quasi active eccentric old ex musicians from Queen could do next?", I seriously don't think you could have even come up with this. Did Roger not learn his lesson with The Cross? He advertised for those musicians and the results were clear on how atrocious that project was. |
| The Real Wizard 22.09.2011 10:07 |
GratefulFan wrote: That Marc Martel guy singing STL sounds Canadian when he speaks. French spelling of Marc makes me a bit suspicious too. It's not completely clear, but I think non Americans may not be eligible, so that might be a problem, if he's a Canuck. ==================== If he joins the Montreal musicians union, which is a division of the AFM (American Federation of Musicians), I think he'd be fine. |
| GratefulFan 22.09.2011 15:15 |
^ He must have already have work permits for the US as his current band has tour dates throughout the fall there according to the band website. It's been kind of funny watching the Extravaganza people scramble together new wording to accommodate Canadian contestants all of a sudden, while struggling with their perpetual inability to understand this whole Canada thing. One could be forgiven for reading their About section and being a bit confused about this North American coast to coast tour of the USA, an American talent search for North Americans who must be a permanent resident of the USA, or maybe Canada too if you're reading some other paragraph, but not Mexico or any of the other North American territories because.... because, well I don't know what the because is, but as long as you're some kind of generally northish Canamerican, I think you're in. |
| Holly2003 22.09.2011 15:40 |
I heard Canada is the USA's attic, where Americans hide all their weird relatives. Don't shoot the messenger :P Any road up .... this tribute thing looks like some kind of pitch for a reality TV show, and I would guess it's the idea of some marketer at Universal. Like the musical, it holds no appeal for me. I'd rather see that Taylor Hawkins/Roger Taylor tour that was mentioned a while back. But I guess this confims what I've been saying since Paul Rodgers quit, I don't think we'll see any more "Queen" tours, even if the do get together for the odd show. Best I am hoping for now is an occasional archival release. |
| brENsKi 22.09.2011 16:51 |
i don't understand why they can't tour if you can replace Freddie with Paul then you can replace him with any competent singer it's about what songs you performin the live setting...and if they take the queen live performance in a more "Smile" direction then almost anyone could carry off the singer role (except Tranqvilla) |
| The Real Wizard 22.09.2011 21:49 |
GratefulFan wrote: ^ He must have already have work permits for the US as his current band has tour dates throughout the fall there according to the band website. ==================== Then bingo. It's not hard to get a P2 visa, but it's especially easy if you're in the union. So if he's the guy, then he should be good to go. |
| Sheer Brass Neck 22.09.2011 22:08 |
Are you going to get into the mix Sir GH? |
| GratefulFan 22.09.2011 22:38 |
Holly2003 wrote: Don't shoot the messenger :P ========================= No worries. I learned the hard way some time ago not to do anything around an Irishman that could cause sparks. :P |
| inu-liger 23.09.2011 07:03 |
GratefulFan wrote: It's not completely clear, but I think non Americans may not be eligible, so that might be a problem, if he's a Canuck. That's no longer an issue, as they have now rectified it to include Canadians (after I sent an e-mail to raise a fuss, pointing out the fact that 'North America' does NOT equal USA alone, and they forwarded my concerns to the lawyers involved in the competition...seriously!) |
| GratefulFan 23.09.2011 11:15 |
I'd suspect it also has an awful lot to do with the fact that the only entrant currently creating viral buzz is Canadian. There was nothing there initially on the site or in the press release or chit chat that indicated this was open to anybody but Americans in their minds. Honestly, there's more than 300,000,000 people down there. You'd think they wouldn't have to come up and rifle through the attic as often as they do... ; ) |
