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Backstage at Rockstar: Supernova -
Part 2
Musicians Hotline is proud to present part two of our continuing series on the latest--and certainly
coolest--music reality show, Rockstar: Supernova. Our friend and fellow gearhead Jim McGorman
of the Rockstar house band shares a behind-the-scenes look at a typically hectic week in the
show. He covers details on how the band gears up for an episode, from learning the latest songs
for artist selection to intense rehearsals and, ultimately, performance. It’s all in a day’s work for the
Rockstar house band, a supremely talented ensemble: Paul Mirkovich, a veteran musical director,
vocalist and killer keyboardist; Jim McGorman on rhythm guitar, keyboards and vocals; Rafael
Moreira on lead guitar and vocals; Sasha Krivtsov on bass; and Nate Morton on drums. Collectively,
the Rockstar: Supernova house band is diverse, experienced and downright tough. So, let’s hear
what McGorman has to say in the second installment of “Backstage at Rockstar: Supernova!”
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Hi everyone, I’m back! In case you didn’t catch last month’s article, my name is Jim McGorman and I’m part of the Rockstar house band.
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Last month I discussed some of the
gear I use on the show. So, this time I’d
like to answer two of the most frequently
asked questions about the show:
“How do you guys learn all those
songs?” “How does it all work?”Well,
let me take you through a typical week
on the Rockstar set. Keep in mind, there
are many variations (and things are constantly
being shifted around), but for the
most part it works this way: First of all,
there are technically three shows: the
performance show, the elimination show
and the reality show. For us--meaning the
house band--it’s a process of learning,
rehearsing and performing. The schedule
is kind of crazy, so stay with me and
hopefully it’ll make sense in the end.
We usually get the song choices for
each week on Monday. (I know you’re
thinking, “The day before!?” Relax.)
Actually, Sunday is when we tape the
show for airing on Tuesday. Now, we
don’t know who will be singing each
song until Thursday, because we don’t
know who will be eliminated. Moreover,
we don’t know what song they’ll
choose on Thursday, the day that songs
are selected. On Monday, and on our
own (usually at home in my studio, in
my pajamas with a cup if tea – hey, I’m
Irish), we learn all the songs for the performance
and new elimination songs.
This is where it gets a bit confusing.
At the beginning of the season, each
“rocker” (meaning contestant) picks one
elimination song that will be their song
until he or she is in the bottom three. If
the rocker hits the bottom, sings and
survives, another song is chosen. So, we
have to learn two new elimination songs
each week for the contestants who
make it through, in addition to the songs
for the Sunday/Tuesday show. It’s particularly
difficult at the beginning of the
season because there are so many contestants.
That’s thirty songs! Now, a lot
of these are songs we all know (when I
say know, I mean we’ve heard them on
the radio or have been listening to them
for a while. They’ve been in our consciousness,
but we still have to learn the
parts. Thankfully, we’ve already covered
some of them in the previous season.
We remember those songs, sort of.
First I learn the song (usually I learn the
rhythm guitar part and harmonies, but if
I think the song has more keyboard
parts than Paul can do himself, I’ll check
that out too), I check out the “cut.” By
that I’m referring to the cut-down version
of the song that we’ll play on the
show. Given the large number of contestants
(especially at the start of the
season) and the time constraints, we
can only play shortened versions of the
songs. They start at about a minute-anda-
half and get longer as the season progresses,
so “more weeks” equals “fewer
rockers.” Once we get down to the final
few, we’ll do the full song. Until then,
we’re learning the “cut.” So, imagine a
song that you’ve heard (and played) your
whole life being cut into pieces. It can
be a bit of a mind-f%#^, actually. Paul
Mirkovich, our music director and keyboardist,
does a phenomenal job of trimming
the fat. Not to mention he’s a badass
on the piano. The guy knows every
song in the world! He makes the cut
versions on his computer and sends
them to us online. Since he’s gone
through the process for roughly 200
songs, it’s fair to say he has it down. If
there are any odd transitions, we work
them out as a band in rehearsal on
Tuesday. Before we start rehearsing, the
lead guitarist (Rafael Moreira) and I will
usually discuss the songs before we
play, just to be certain we’re on the
same page.
We’ll play the same thing on many occasions,
but usually we try to pick different
parts. That’s easy, though, because most
of the songs we play have much more
than two guitar parts. The other interesting
thing about our playing is that we
couldn’t be at two more opposite ends
of the spectrum.
Rafael is a much better lead player than I
am. His technique is unbelievable. There
is nothing he can’t do on a guitar.
I usually stick to the rhythm parts. As a
songwriter I’m drawn to the chords and
melody. Plus, with all the singing I do, it
helps to be strumming away underneath.
This also helps appease my tone-freak
side. I get to work with different guitars
and pedals and amps, and get as close as
possible to the original vibe of the song.
I actually prefer playing rhythm,
because it makes me feel that I’m
part of the foundation of the song.
Speaking of the foundation, our drummer
Nate Morton and bassist Sasha
Krivtsov are an absolutely amazing
rhythm section. (We affectionately refer
to them as “the Kitchen,” but I’m not
sure why). They’re super-solid with every
groove and style of music that we play.
Working with musicians of this caliber
makes my job that much easier.
So, once we’ve learned all the songs, we
bring in the contestants. This is where it
gets interesting. I’m not going to lie to
you. Sometimes they make it hard.
There are times when we’ve got a
song sounding great, then the singer
will want to change the key, the
arrangement and the whole vibe of the
thing. Now, I’m not suggesting that all
of their ideas are bad, since they’re
obviously not. Sometimes we need
them to take charge of a so-so song
and make it into something. We only
have so much time to get an arrangement
together, and we usually do just
what we get on the record. That being
said, the way a song was originally
written and recorded is part of what
makes it a hit. Once you start changing
things to a significant degree, it can
drift away from the song you used to
love. So, you have to be careful.We do
the best we can to strike a middle
ground between the contestant’s
vision and what we feel is the best
way to approach the song. I’d say I’m
happy with it about three-fourths of
the time. Once the arrangement is
decided, we just have to own it. So,
the process of taking it from rehearsal
to a show performance in one-and-ahalf
days is a big part of the gig. Since
I never really use a chart, I start to
memorize the songs from the first
time we play. That helps keep me from
relying on anything but myself.We also
run the songs on the day of the taping,
just to tighten everything up. So,
by the time we do the actual show
we’ve probably played each song ten
or fifteen times. Here’s a recap of the
process:
Monday: Get the cuts and learn at
home.
Tuesday: Rehearse with the house
band for the performance show;
rehearse with contestants for the
Wednesday elimination show.
Wednesday – Do the elimination
show; rehearse with house band for
the performance show.
Thursday: This is the day off.
Friday: Rehearse with contestants.
Saturday: Rehearse with contestants.
Sunday: Do the performance show.
Somehow, we seem to make it work.
Well, now that you know how we do
it, let’s check out a show! Rockstar:
Supernova airs Tuesday night at nine
and Wednesday night at eight on CBS.
Thanks for the support.
Jim McGorman
My band: Jamestown -
www.myspace.com/aboutjamestown
www.jimmcgorman.com
www.rockstar.msn.com
jmcgorman@mac.com
Stay tuned for Part Two of
Backstage at Rock Star: Supernova
in next months issue...
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