Youth rules

So Kiss founder Gene Simmons was in Canada recently on a hunt for acts to sign to his label, and among the typically outrageous things he said were some smart things that made sense to me.

He was talking about what makes an artist great, and what it takes for a band to become a success. He said he wasn't a fan of shows like Canadian Idol and American Idol because they do little more than entertain a TV audience with a contest among singers rather than help find and encourage young artists who have a shot at having a long future in the music business.

He was quite correct to suggest that he would have crashed and burned if he had become an American Idol contestant when he was starting out in the '70s. He couldn't sing well at all, he said, and he and his band rose to fame and still enjoy success decades later because he and his bandmates had moxy, offered something different to the music landscape and worked hard at it. They also had an attitude and personalities that don't exactly get rewarded on the Idol shows.

He's right, isn't he? Most of the winners are clean cut, rosy-cheeked men and woman who the show's makers figure have a chance of appealing to the masses.

Simmons said the Rolling Stones's Mick Jagger wouldn't have done well on American Idol either -- what Jagger lacks in vocal talent he makes up for in stage presence and energy alone. That's why he's regarded as one of the best rock frontmen, ever, because of who he is rather than how well he can hold a note.

One of the reasons that gets me excited about a singer or a band is how they started. I'm impressed by a band that starts out in a garage, earns a modest living playing the music they love and then become popular after struggling and winning audiences on their own terms.

For instance, Regina's favourite sons Into Eternity travel the world quite regularly after years of struggle and hard work. I don't think people like David Cook or Ryan Malcolm know much about eating peanut butter sandwiches in the back of van on their way to a show Sudbury, Ont. where a crowd of 80 are waiting for them. My guess is that they wouldn't bother.

An Into Eternity CD has a value that no CD made by an Idol winner will ever have. Same goes for all rags-to-riches (or rags-to-rags-to-rags) bands.

I bring this up for a couple of reasons.

Some time ago, I was passing the time and looking up some old Iron Maiden videos on youtube, and I stumbled across these three brothers from Argentina who had posted their own version of Maiden's "Trooper." I liked it, a lot, because these really young dudes were taking this very seriously and having a blast.

The Gaucho brothers (pictured) are all really young, and the video was shot in a bedroom - you can see part of what appears to be a bunk bed. Their niece, holding a muted microphone and dressed in a flowing dark wig, presumably to look like a Maiden member, or one of her uncles, dances as her young uncles wail away on their instruments.

Here it is.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_4aGXTHo7w

If you search youtube, you'll find lots more -- the Gaucho brothers do versions of many songs, most of them old, great rock songs. I gather they became Internet darlings, and even appeared on Argentina's version of American Idol and their spirited performance seemed to impress.

In this clip, they're a little older and better at their instruments. And their parents go nuts out of view from the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y4vKQytOU4&feature=related

I hadn't given much thought about the Gouchos until a couple of weeks back when I spotted this cell phone ad where subtitles allow the TV viewer to understand what they're singing about. It's a neat ad, and their niece returns to her rightful spot up front. Here it is - I'm sure you've seen it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfPSkyd-9UM

I hope that I am able someday to buy a Goucho Brothers CD, because I will. And I'll buy a few copies as gifts, and give them to friends and family who are fans of winners of TV contest shows.

Here's an Esquire article on the brothers...

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/gauchos022307

So why do I bother bringing all of this up? Well, Regina music fans are in for a treat tonight (Wednesday) when three really young local bands share the stage at The Exchange.

Purple Funk headlines a bill that includes fellow young rockers The Flaming Pendejos & Noah's Electric Arc. The show is from 8 to 11 p.m. and tickets are $8. Without doing a Google search, I can say with reasonable certainty that none of these bands or their members have done well on Canadian Idol, and are performing tonight because they like hanging out with their friends, love playing rock music and just want to have fun.

Here's a taste of what you'll expect - this is The Flaming Pendejos, who I think played on the Scarth Street Mall this summer. Like all bands on this list tonight, they play rock music -- no dancing, no choreography. In this clip, the young fellas pay tribute to Pink Floyd and perform an imperfect but neat version of "Wish You Were Here."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDmjLjIuEy4

My guess is that most of tonight's audience will be made up of giddy parents, but this show is perfect if you're like me, and interested in real musicians playing music for the simple pleasure of the art.

Cheers!