Posted on Thu, Feb. 02, 2006

Cattle call will thin the 'Rock Star' wannabe herd
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pioneer Press

Attention, would-be rock stars: Save March 16 on your calendar.
That's when producers for the second season of "Rock Star" — the CBS reality show that found a new lead singer for INXS last summer — will visit Minneapolis for a casting call.
Producer Mark Burnett has yet to reveal the featured band for this second go-round, but rumored participants Stone Temple Pilots seem like an apt choice. STP lead singer Scott Weiland now fronts Velvet Revolver. Ironically enough, that group was formed by onetime Guns N' Roses members who initially announced they would document their search for a vocalist on a VH1 reality series, which never came to fruition.
Sublime and Alice in Chains have also been mentioned — each group lost its leader to a drug overdose. Back in October, MTV announced it would be Van Halen, which was swiftly followed up by a denial from the band's management.
Maybe it might be Queen? That group is touring with Paul Rodgers this spring, but the former Bad Company lead singer has said there are no solid plans for anything beyond that. And Queen's music found a whole new — and young — audience thanks to its use on both "Rock Star" and "American Idol."
Other speculation suggests there won't be a band at all and that the show may copy "AI" and aim to establish a new solo artist. St. Paul's Jordis Unga is one of several of the first-season "Rock Star" contestants to leave the show with a recording deal.
Whatever the case, the March 16 Minneapolis date is one of 11 planned. No further details have been announced, including whether the auditions will be open to the general public.
They were last year, when producers invited vocalists to a cattle call at First Avenue. Further details, including an address to send applications, can be found online at rockstar. msn.com.
INXS guitarist Tim Farriss had this advice to share: "Be honest. Be patient and be nice. Go with your instincts. And be truthful to the audience — above all else, audiences can see through anything."