O-town?????????

[SeaSpray]

Ok. I have 2 sons, so I'm definitely out of the teeny bopper loop. But I'm watching Good Morning America and see this boy band called O Town. What's the deal?? I see 5 young man standing towards the front of the stage, then I see several "mature" men in the background playing the music!! Don't these kids play instruments?? I might be wrong, but wasn't this band formed from a tv show contest or something? If so, why didn't they find young men who were truly talented with voice and musical abilities??

Just curious! (And trying to procrastinate getting starting on my very long To Do List today!) :)

[Mermaid02]

Just like NSync or the BackStreet Boys they are a vocal group- not a band. I don't know if any of them actually play instruments or not.... . Yes they were formed on the show "Making the Band".

[CathyCanada]

None of the "boy bands" play their own instruments. These kids were formed from a TV show as Mermaid said, but I loved it. It really gives an insight into their personalities and the stress of dealing with success. Wish it was still on, would love to see how they are handling things now.
CC

[SeaSpray]

Oh I see. LOL I know that my 12 yr old niece watched that show, and that's where my limited knowledge about this "band" came from!

I had no idea that none of the boy bands played their own music!! Reminds me of the Partridge Family and the early Monkees a little :) (I know that in the end the Monkees played their own instruments).

Thanks for clearing that up....but don't they feel funny just standing there taking turns singing while other people actually play the music? Apparently they don't.... :rolleyes:

(still procrastinating............)

[CathyCanada]

They sing and dance so it is a whole show. They are just too busy to play instruments!! ;)
CC

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Hey, at least 2 of the Monkees were professional musicians before the show and all 4 learned how to play! (Davy played a mean set of Maraccas!). As for the Patridge Family...hey, David Cassidy could really play the guitar. I don't know about Suzanne Crough and that cow bell though. ;)

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by WebmasterCathyCanada
They sing and dance so it is a whole show. They are just too busy to play instruments!! ;)
CC

I can see that their "show" is what makes all the young girls scream!! :)

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by Annie&Hallie'sMom
Hey, at least 2 of the Monkees were professional musicians before the show and all 4 learned how to play! (Davy played a mean set of Maraccas!). As for the Patridge Family...hey, David Cassidy could really play the guitar. I don't know about Suzanne Crough and that cow bell though. ;)

ROFL!!!! Ahhh, the memories! I saw David Cassidy in concert TWICE!!!!!! :teeth: And yeah, Davey Jones and those maraccas..... hehehehehehe!!!!

[Pembo]

Three of them were playing guitars this morning on GMA. One of the boys, Dan, is from Twinsburg Ohio which is right near Towncrier's house! He has lots of musical talent according to the local newspaper.

I too noticed how much older the back up band is! Odd.........I'm sure those guys just love playing for "the kids"! ;)

[debster812]

Hey SeaSpray,

Get going on that to-do list!!!

Debbie

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by debster812
Hey SeaSpray,

Get going on that to-do list!!!

Debbie

Thanks Debbie! :teeth: I just finished scrubbing the bathroom, so I deserve a little break. Heheh.

As soon as I post this (I will resist the urge to scroll down the page and read more threads!), I'll do some laundry then go food shopping. I need to make a big fresh fruit salad for a party tonight..... I hope the fruit looks decent at Shaw's!

After that, I'll have the pleasure of cleaning out the litter box, then take the trash to the dump. The town I live in has NO trash pick up! I think I'm boonier than Debster812! :teeth: (In reference to her "location") LOL

[Banzai]

Where is Norah?

[disykat]

singing IS music JMHO

[Robinrs]

I watched Making the Band from the very first episode and I see those boys as my little nephews!

They are just angels, the bunch of them. Much more mature than their years, have their priorities straight, actual joys!

Ya think I like them????http://gurlpages.com/otownsbabies///otown25~.JPG http://gurlpages.com/otownsbabies///otown54.JPG
My boys!!

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by disykat
singing IS music JMHO

I never said singing *wasn't* music....but if the producers went through all that trouble to create a tv show in order to create a band, why not find young men who could sing AND play musical instruments. I'm sure there's no shortage of them. I imagine it's just easier for the producers to get these kids to only sing, rather than to involve them in the instrumental end of it as well.

I'm not knocking these kids....they have wonderful voices.... :) This morning I was wondering about something, I KNEW people here on the DIS would have the answer, so I posted about it! Simple as that :p

[SPAGo 98]

a bunch of my friends were supposed to go to that this morning... craziness, they were planning on getting there at 5 am. sick.

[Amzey]

haha spago, that reminds me of one time I was in New York when Britney was going to play the Today Show the next morning.. we walked by at like 4 or 5 pm and people were already waiting. :eek:

[supercarrie]

They shouldn't call them boy bands - think of O-Town, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, etc as more like the Jackson 5 or Boyz II Men - vocal groups, not boy bands. :D

I still can't get over O-Town's success. After seeing Trevor do a lip sync for his fraternity with one of my friends, who knew him before he was a star, and then hearing all about the audition process while it was going on, it is crazy to see this friend of a friend who was just a normal college student become so famous. She has pictures of him from their formals in her room, just a normal guy, and yet here he is, in this famous group. It is cool. :D

[cotye]

Originally posted by supercarrie
They shouldn't call them boy bands - think of O-Town, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, etc as more like the Jackson 5 or Boyz II Men - vocal groups, not boy bands. :D

I still can't get over O-Town's success. After seeing Trevor do a lip sync for his fraternity with one of my friends, who knew him before he was a star, and then hearing all about the audition process while it was going on, it is crazy to see this friend of a friend who was just a normal college student become so famous. She has pictures of him from their formals in her room, just a normal guy, and yet here he is, in this famous group. It is cool. :D

Carrie, actually, Boyz II Men can be considered a vocal group, however, unlike the other 'boy bands' they can write their own music (actually write a song beginning to end without outside help; which some of these other bands need), and they also produce their own albums. But Boyz II Men did start off the trend of boy bands, which has been good. I do enjoy some of the boy band music... I think BSB and 98 Degrees have some great songs (although 98 degrees should stick to singing other people's songs cause the songs they wrote weren't that good).

[Lorix2]

Actually, Jacob (O-Town) plays acoustic guitar and writes alot of material. If you've seen the show, he was always writing and playing.....another one of the members was playing drums on an episode, but can't remember which one.

Also, some of the members of the Backstreet boys are quite multi-talented as well. A.J. plays drums like a professional, he kicked one of the percussion members out of their "spot" to show his stuff at a concert I saw last summer - he was really into it, but it was just for a few minutes if that.

Just some FYI :D

[suevee]

Hi

Just thought I'd drop in. I think some members of this band do play their own instruments, but dancing seems to be more important to the producers of this band. I heard they are also starting to get involved in the song writing part. But, I like the rejects of O-town better. Do a search on LMNT at AOL and check them out.

[Robinrs]

I, too, don't consider BoyzIIMen a "boy band"... that IMHO is an insult to a class act like that! That would be like comparing the Supremes to the Spice Girls!

Boy bands are girl magnets, more focussed on flash than on talent. Boyz are not pretty boys by any stretch of the imagination. Just not the same thing to me. The fact that boy bands are talented are an extra, but not the requirement!

[AFgirl325]

Originally posted by Banzai
Where is Norah?


My thoughts exactly, Brad. :)

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

I'm here I'm here
One, O-Town does play their own instruments.
On their tours there are songs where some of the members play guitar.
So...yes they play instruments.
Two, the guys write their own music and have a large part in their debut album (which is dropping on October 8th..look for the new single in late summer early fall:rolleyes: )
Three, Nsync is on a 14 month hiatus, BSB was gone a long time ago..so you will be hearing a lot more of O-Town now because they are not a boyband they are a musical group.
They are talented.
Ok I've said my piece. I'm done.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions however.
I love my boys and will always support them.

[SeaSpray]

daughter of amid: I'm glad you love your band, I loved David Cassidy and Donny Osmond when I was a kid! :D

This particular band, O-Town, just happened to catch my eye this morning because they were on Good Morning America and they kept showing the stage where they were about to perform, and I could see these older guys holding and playing instruments. This was when they were just warming up, the members of O-Town were not yet on stage, so I assumed that these older guys were the roadies, warming up the instruments for the younger guys. Then a little while later I looked up when I heard them singing and was surprised to STILL see these older guys playing the instruments. That's why I posted my initial question.

I guess I'm old :teeth: I've had a lot of friends in bands who sang and played the instuments, and like I said, having only boys, I'm really out of the loop of how these bands operate, although, like someone pointed out, there have been vocal-bands around for a long time too....

I just want to reiterate that I am not and was not knocking O-Town. I was simply wondering why the band was formed using kids singing, and older guys playing the instruments. Now that it's been explained to me, that this is how the bands mostly perform these days, it makes sense.

Now....to steal a phrase from Long Duck Dong in Sixteen Candles..."JEES!" :teeth:

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Sorry, I'm very defensive of my boys...

[SDAngel101]

I think they have good music, and they are cute! hehe I have their first CD and LOVE it.

[oddball27]

Sorry, just had to say that!!:p :p

[bizybea]

Originally posted by Cotye:

Boyz II Men did start off the trend of boy bands

I thought that New Kids On The Block were the first to start the trend? I could be wrong...

[dizneenut]

Actually, I thought New Edition started the whole boy band trend......then NKOTB came next......

[bizybea]

Thinking it over now, I guess you can say that the Osmonds and the Jacksons were the first boy bands...