OWH wrote:
Rock band taps Omaha for what it needs
The rock band INXS is looking to Omaha's blossoming music scene in its quest to find a new lead singer.
A crew from Mark Burnett's California-based TV production company will hold an open audition Feb. 11 at Mick's Music & Bar, 5918 Maple St., to find candidates for a reality series.
Audition winners from across the country will star in a 13-week CBS series, which has a working title of "Rock Star." The show's winner will become frontman or frontwoman for INXS.
The original lead singer of the group, Michael Hutchence, committed suicide in 1997.
"We're not looking for a new Michael Hutchence. We're looking for a new face for the band," said Peter Cohen of Mark Burnett Productions. "We're looking for strong front people, experienced or not. It's a serious show. We're looking for people who are really serious about this."
Omaha was selected as an audition city because of its national reputation as a musical hotbed, Cohen said. "There's a lot going on there musically."
Another reason the crew is stopping in Omaha is because show officials wanted to hit a smaller market. In larger cities where auditions will be held, the event might get overlooked, he said.
Local singer-songwriter Michael Campbell, owner of Mick's Music & Bar, said he is proud that his live-music club was chosen as one of 14 U.S. audition sites.
"They're encouraging songwriters to audition, not Michael Hutchence clones," he said. "That's why I became very interested because they wanted songwriters. We're a singer-songwriter venue."
Auditions at Mick's will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Men and women auditioning must be at least 21 and sing as many as three songs (they don't have to perform an INXS song). Original songs are encouraged, though not required. Applicants can perform with one musical instrument or an accompanist.
For more information and application forms to audition, visit
http://www.INXSrockstar.com.
