Zac Shipley
The awards are announced for the second of four Virtual Rock Band shows at WYOU.
Science fiction has long explored virtual worlds, with regular folks getting to play out fantasies via computers. The Matrix taught kung fu to Keanu, and Star Trek's Holodeck let Commander Data pretend to be Sherlock Holmes. In the here and now, .
You've probably seen this game or one like it -- Guitar Hero, for example. In the more multiplayer-friendly Rock Band, the gamer holds a plastic guitar or drum set and performs along with music provided by the video game on XBox 360, Playstation 3 or other consoles. The interface is complex, but no more so than a regular video game controller, and certainly not as much as the actual instruments.
The game is fairly easy to jump into, since most of us have played air guitar or drummed on the dash of the car to the beat of a good song on the radio. Rock Band taps into the fantasy of being a rock star, and WYOU takes the concept a step further by hosting virtual bands on TV to perform in a contest and be judged, not unlike contestants on American Idol.
After catching the April 9 airing on the tube, I called up organizer Craig Meyer and arranged to visit the WYOU studios on East Washington Avenue to see the next performance up close. Meyer is the host of Rocksanne went right into introducing the game and some of the basic rules. The bands would be judged not only on their proficiency, but also on attitude, stage presence and attire. Three judges took on this task: local filmmaker They were followed by "Crankshaft," decked out as auto mechanics in torn denim and stained white undershirts. Taking a more modern route, they selected "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer and Radiohead's "Creep." Steve Scoville and David Ferris shared duties, alternating as the singer and drummer. James Hurtley played an expert bass, with Jacob Potter leading on guitar. Both bands rounded out their three-song set with "Blitzkreig Bop" from The Ramones, so judges had a common song on which to score. The winner of the night's show would move on to the final round on Wednesday, April 30, when the champion will claim the grand prize, a Rock Band Stage Kit, which adds lights and a smoke machine to further authenticate the virtual concert experience. After scores were tabulated, Rutger Hauer were pronounced the winners. In celebration, they played an encore. Susannah grabbed a bass and Ian Stewart took lead vocals on "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. WYOU is living up to its mission of community television with this contest, and though some musicians resist the idea that Rock Band be taken seriously, the performers enjoyed the star treatment.
