My Night as Simon Cowell: Judging the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series

[Above: Act of Congress, one of the evening's performers.]

Last month I served as a judge at the Southeast Regional Finals of Disc Makers’ Independent Music World Series, and if there’s one thing I can report to you from the trenches of Unsignedbandville, population 100 gazillion, it’s that optimism reigns supreme.

What struck me most about the evening was the widespread enthusiasm that swept much of the room, sometimes bordering on hucksterism, as agents pressed CDs, photos and press releases on my fellow judges and me. Apparently, having been chosen to judge a regional music competition was enough to elevate us, in their eyes, to the status of cigar-chomping, three-martini-lunching career-makers of the bigtime music scene; really, we were just there to hear some music and do some damage at the open bar.

As for the bands themselves, they weren't bad-- better than I expected, actually. Here’s a breakdown of my reactions to the six acts, in the order we saw them, along with an update after hearing listening to recordings by each act a few days later.

Act 1: The Train Wrecks
These guys don’t fit the Skynyrd mold exactly-- they’re a lot more Hank than Ronnie in places, with some Jeff Tweedy and Kevn Kinney mixed in as well-- but they’re obviously trying to ride the Drive-By Truckers’ impressive coattails, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. Still, though I’m all for theatrics, the staged persona of the lead singer was a bit much, and the music itself seemed a bit flat, a bit lifeless. I don’t fault the singer, who was a reasonably charismatic guy and had a good voice (despite the dramatic tendencies), or the band itself, which seemed tight enough. I blame the songs, the arrangements. Just not very exciting.

Update: Well, shiver me timbers, I’m now listening to some of the songs on MySpace, and I do like them more than I thought. Tighter, more thoughtful. Check them out, for sure.

Act Two: Zaki
Zaki is a talented crooner, but he was hampered this night by two major flaws. First, the sound was turned far, far too low for his music. Neo-soul needs to be loud to accomplish its effect: At its room-dominating best, it can transport you in a way no other genre can, but turned down low, it can sound like elevator music. Second, he came onstage without any backup band at all. He’s “ballin on a budget,” as he winningly told us, but unless you’ve got a voice just this side of Whitney, you just aren’t going to win a band competition singing to an accompaniment tape. Still, Zaki not only has a very good voice, he has very funky instincts (a trait too often missing in soul singers with good voices). He’s certainly got a shot at a career.

Update: Zaki's website links to his music don't work, but dig through to find the link to his Myspace page, and you'll hear for yourself. He sounds a good bit better on record, where he doesn't have to strain to be heard.

Act 3: Akeem Brodie, AKA 757
Easily the best act of the night. An onstage DJ laid down a killer Dirty South beat, and a rapper began shouting his mantra, “You’ rockin’ with the best,” over and over. After a couple of preliminary verses, growling exhortations and sounding like a young DJ Quik, he signaled for Akeem Brodie, who rushed in, dressed in a quasi-military uniform and mirrored shades, and proceeded to tear the place up. Jumping around, working the crowd, punctuating his lyrics with jagged thrusts of his finger, he had a flow reminiscent of Darrell Mac of Run-DMC. The crowd went crazy, even the fans of most of the other bands. Short story? It rocked.

Update: The tracks on MySpace are pretty representative, though none really capture the energy of the live show. Go listen, but see them live as soon as you can.

Act Four: Act of Congress
Now the evening was really hitting its stride. Act of Congress is an Americana band out of Birmingham, with echoes of Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek and more conventional contemporary country bands. But they also have some influences from the softer Americana side of the indie rock scene (see Sufjan Stevens or Damien Jurado, but with a poppier edge), as evidenced by their set opener, a terrific bluegrass-y cover of the Postal Service's “Such Great Heights." Certainly the most professional band to hit the stage that night, and their musicianship was second to none. The vocals blended well, the solos (mandolin, fiddle, guitar) were creative and tight and not overly drawn-out, and the songwriting was crisp. These guys eventually took home the big prize for the night, and although my vote went to 757, I really couldn’t begrudge them the top spot.

Update: Act of Congress is the band whose CD I would most recommend buying, and there are several excellent songs on Myspace that will give you a sense of their sound. Definitely go see them on tour; I suspect they’d especially profit from a venue that’s more of a “listening room” a la Eddie’s Attic.

Act Five: Good Guys
And here’s where it all went wrong. I really like heavy music, and I’m especially inclined to give lots of leeway to any band from my beloved home city, New Orleans. But this act was a total loss for me, just some guys in matching black shirts and ties (you’d better be a pretty great band to pull that off), stumbling around the stage playing loud, pointless music and striking poses with unsupported bravado.

Update: Listening to the music on Myspace, unfortunately, doesn’t change my mind. But maybe I'm just too old to enjoy the emo-goth theatrics and minor power chords.

Act Six: Big John, AKA The Giant
He wasn’t the most skilled artist of the night, but darned if this guy didn’t give the two top-flight acts a run for the money for the title of most entertaining. Cutting a hulking figure in a t-shirt that proclaimed him “The Giant,” he hit the stage and immediately stripped down to a wifebeater to reveal his huge tattooed arms, the better to illustrate his trademark song “We Tatted Up.” Fun stuff, even if he didn’t electrify the crowd quite like 757. He’s not a particularly sophisticated songwriter, he sure can write a hook; In fact, with songs like “Tatted” and “That’s My Song,” I actually would rate him as the most likely of these six to have at least a regional radio hit.

Update: Again, the Myspace songs confirm my initial impression. If you like Dirty South hiphop with a hard edge, it's an album and a live show worth checking out.