The Results Are In, Did Sebastian Bring It On Home?

From Canada's National Post
THE AMPERSAND
by Sarah Millar
July 31, 2008

Talking With Sebastian Pigott
Sebastian Pigott’s voice is a little hoarse, but there is no mistaking his enthusiasm the morning after he was the third member of the Top 10 to be eliminated from Canadian Idol.
In fact when asked how he is, he says he’s “just golden.”

Pigott explained there is ultimately a bit of relief that comes with being eliminated from the Idol stage.

“You’ve been engulfed in the bubble and it’s all so intense for so long. So there’s a little bit of relief in it and you know, I didn’t expect to go all the way.
I feel like I went out on a good note”
Article from The Ampersand continued here



The results are in and Canada's voice is heard

Top 7, Enjoy the challenges that await you and may the best entertainer earn the coveted title of Canadian Idol.

A personal thought comes to mind that I would like to share with those who are reading this blog. While I do not intend to diminish the ultimate goal of the program, I have to wonder if achieving the title is all that counts?

From my perspective, each individual who has appeared on Canadian Idol or American Idol has had a remarkable opportunity to let their country know who they are.

The viewers may get frustrated when their favourite doesn't make it to the end, but I think that we have to appreciate that the format of these shows enables many hopeful artists to gain name recognition and publicity.

Sebastian, thank you for participating in Canadian Idol. It does take a great deal of courage to put yourself out there while you are pursuing your dream. You shared your charisma, talent and love of your craft.


You re-introduced Canadian viewers to the harmonica as an instrument to be valued, respected and enjoyed.

I am reminded of the old saying, "When one door closes, another one opens", but I suspect that in your case, there are many doors that will open for you in the future. Whether it is a on a stage or on the big screen, no matter which path you choose, we wish you success and happiness!






"For the vast majority of us, success is not something that's just going to happen.
It's something we've got to make happen.
So go ahead and make it happen."
~ Taylor Hicks ~








Did Sebastian Bring It On Home?
With Gavin Rossdale as the guest mentor, the Top 8 Canadian Idol contestants performed "unplugged"!

Sebastian Pigott's supporters didn't have to wait long to see if Sebastian would "bring it on home" this week. His was the first performance of the evening.


(click on photos to enlarge)
Sebastian listened intently to the advice that Gavin Rossdale gave to him. Gavin asked Sebastian to put more "pain" in his song as opposed to bravado, because it would show a vulnerable side to him.



Sebastian chose to perform Little Richard's version of "Lucille".



When I listened to the video carefully, I could hear the excitement in the audience when Sebastian started to play the harmonica!

I love the harmonica being added to a song. When Taylor Hicks plays the harmonica, he becomes a "Pied Piper" and, for me, the music becomes infused with soul. It is one of the many reasons I support Taylor's music and why I am a "resident" of The Pond.



"I fell totally and passionately in love with that harmonica.
Right from the point I purchased it, that instrument and I became inseparable."
Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'

Sebastian succeeded in "courting" three of the four judges this week. Zach, in true Simon Cowell mode, was not as appreciative of Sebastian's performance; however, overall, I think that Sebastian was more than pleased with the "judgement" this week.



The question now is did Sebastian bring enough home to stay another week? Canada decides tonight!



Today's cup:

"In music the passions enjoy themselves."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~

Sebastian Survives To Compete Again

Tuesday, July 22nd would bring us the results we had been eagerly awaiting after the Rock & Roll performances from Monday evening's Canadian Idol.

I, for one, was looking forward to the end of this week because of some comments that I did not especially like and once again Ben continued to refer to the "rock and roll angels" as dead people:

"In an ironic twist, the Top 9 fought for their Idol lives by performing songs by dead rock stars", said Ben Mulroney. An 8 year old in my livingroom asked me "why does he keep saying "dead" people?".
Hello - Canadian Idol - it is not humourous to many of the viewers!

Depending on the results of this show, I had given some thought to drawing the curtains on Canadian Idol and declaring it "VSA" (Vital Signs Absent) on my television set.

Let the results roll in ...



The 3 with the least number of votes stand in anticipation.
This is one spotlight that no performer wants to stand in.



The long awaited moment arrives!



It appeared to me that Sebastian Pigott was aware that he could possibly be leaving the show this week. He looked very surprised that he had survived this week's judgement day.



Sebastian, your supporters came through for you. You have definitely made your alliance with many of the viewers. As you well know, next week, you will really need to "court" the judges with an outstanding performance.

We will now be seeing the "guest mentors" on subsequent shows. First up will be former Bush front man and recent solo artist Gavin Rossdale, who will coach the Top 9 for 'Unplugged' week. Rossdale, who is married to Gwen Stefani, will also perform live during the Top 9 Results show on Tuesday, July 29th.

It will be interesting to see what advice is offered to the Top 8 Contestants, and which ones will take the advice to heart!




"I realized I was playing a version of Survivor, and the alliance I most needed to form was with the viewers at home."
Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'


Today's cup:
"You can't tailor make the situations in your life,
but you can tailor make your attitudes to fit the situation."

Rock and Roll Heaven Week - Canadian Idol

Monday night's Canadian Idol show opened with Ben Mulroney welcoming the viewers and then Ben said:

"The Idols were allowed to sing any song they wanted
with just one condition. The original artist must be dead.
This is our Rock and Roll Heaven Week.
The Top 9 have made their choices and we "Googled" them just to make sure they were dead and they were."
Just prior to introducing Sebastian's performance, Ben then said: "Tonight, the Idols are unearthing some of the biggest hits by some of the deadest music stars of all time."

My blog today is primarily about Sebastian Pigott's journey, but I feel that I need to express my "personal" thoughts regarding the diplomacy of these remarks. I have no way of knowing whether the comments were Ben's personal comments or the words written by a writer, but as a viewer, I found them to be distasteful. Considering Ben's background, I expected that he would have been more tactful and "politically correct" in describing the purpose of this week.
In my mind, I wondered what a family member of one of these departed musicians might think as I found those comments to be very offensive.

This is a television show which is often viewed by families. Surely, there must be a better way to boost the ratings and provide a better role model for the younger viewers by giving the appropriate respect to those who have moved on to "Rock and Roll Heaven". Now, I feel much better expressing my thoughts so let's move on to what is really important.

Sebastian chose to perform "Love Me" an Elvis #2 hit on the charts in 1956.



I enjoyed the performance but once again, Sebastian really took some severe criticism from the judges.




Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'
"But while I'd always listen to the judges' comments and respond to their criticism as best I could, I was well aware they weren't my ultimate judges."

Did anyone notice that there was no mention about the style of microphone Sebastian chose to use? I watched the footage of the show again and he was the only contestant who used the style of microphone which realistically portrayed the time in which the song was originally performed. One would think that it might have been mentioned instead of the standard "you look good" comments.



The thought has also crossed my mind that Sebastian Pigott is a "blues and soul" music kind of guy which begs the question if perhaps the Canadian Idol show feels that his genre of music isn't going to be easily heard on the radio? Does it all come down to dollars and cents and that is why their comments, perhaps, were intended to sway the potential voters?


Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'
"My type of soul wasn't ultra-sexy hip-hop it was old-school soul...."
".... the songs from my album weren't having a particularly easy time on the radio so far. Not for the first time, I encountered resistance from people who were quick to question where exactly I fit in - if I fit anywhere at all."


Once again Sebastian made a dramatic entrance with the lights dimmed and I think his entrance shows that he does give a great deal of thought to how he is going to portray himself on television.



I am not so sure, though, that I saw the go get 'em' sparkle in Sebastian's eyes this week that I have seen on previous shows.



I am wondering about a couple of things. Did Sebastian have his heart in performing tonight? He had all the right moves but did "he" feel the song? I think at times he did.



One thing that I did notice though. There didn't seem to be as many camera close-up shots of him as there usually are so maybe this made it more difficult to really "see" him perform the song.

Does Sebastian miss his brother being on the show or is he finding that the concept of the show is too confining? In my opinion, it takes alot of courage to appear on this kind of show. To be judged week after week is part and parcel of being a part of it, but how many of us would actually be willing to put ourselves out there and do it?

When all is said and done, the ultimate decision belongs to the public. If participating in the show gets you to where "you" want to go, then it is worth the ride. Let's wait until tomorrow night to find out what the people have to say. Sebastian, once again, I think you remained true to yourself and there is nothing more that anyone can ask from you. Good for you and by the way, my fingers did the dialing!


'There's no electoral college on American Idol - simply the weekly will of the people."
Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'



Today's cup:


"Just because you look good, don't mean you feel good."
~ Elvis Presley ~

Shades of American Idol Season 5

"Here's one thing I've learned: I wasn't born to play arenas.
Everything I've learned about music is about making a connection, and at least for me, a giant arena is not the best place to make a connection.
Performing is a relationship between you and your audience, and in that relationship less can definitely be more.
Singing in an arena, it takes much longer to feel the energy of the crowd and feed off that energy.
That shared energy is what I hunger for.
So, if I had my dream in all its fine-tuned glory, it would be to play great theaters and clubs for the rest of my life."
~ Taylor Hicks from 'Heart Full of Soul' ~




(click to enlarge to full-screen size)

"I love blues and soul music. I love the honesty of it; the raw quality of it and the connection you get with the crowd.
That's why I love performing in smaller, intimate places."
~ Sebastian Pigott ~

As I am cruising along the road of this year's Canadian Idol, I can't help but reflect back on the journey of Taylor Hicks on American Idol Season 5. Taylor, too, had his fair or not so fair share of critical judgements.
In his book, 'Heart Full of Soul', when he reflected back to that time, Taylor has this to say about the Idol experience:

"It's also a whole lot of work, and you don't really know how the job is going to pay until it's over."
"In the end, all I ever tried to do was entertain people - that's what I did in the clubs, and that's what I did in those first months of 2006 for the millions who didn't want to leave the comfort of their living rooms.
When you're an entertainer, it's your great privilege to touch people's lives in a distant and yet seemingly personal way."

And, then there were 10 ...
Week 4, July 14, 2008, was the beginning of the Top 10 performances on Canadian Idol. As promised, Canadian Idol came through with more firsts. It started with a brand new set which should give the performers a lot of room to move around on.

The first contestant of the night was Drew Wright who performed his song while playing the drums. The judges said it was the first time that anyone had played the drums while singing. Adam Castelli's entrance onstage riding a motorcycle was another first on this show. The fact that there are only two female contestants in the Top 10 is another first.

This was David Bowie Week and since I have never been a huge Bowie fan, I found it somewhat difficult to appreciate this type of music. All of the contestants put their best efforts forward and some, more than others, received some harsh criticism from the judges.

Sebastian Pigott performed David Bowie's version of "Let's Spend the Night Together". (I must say that I always liked the original Rolling Stones' version of this song though.)

video: Sebastian Pigott ~ "Let's Spend the Night Together"


I loved the way Sebastian started the first part of the song and I would have been really happy if he had performed the entire song that way. In the first part of the song, he sang each word in an intimate and charismatic way. The audience certainly loved his performance, I liked it too!


(click to enlarge to full-screen size)

The judges, on the other hand, were, in my opinion, extremely harsh and critical of Sebastian's presentation of the song. Now, this is where I get confused since I am only a TV viewer and not a musician.

For a Blues and Soul man, wouldn't it be challenging to sing a David Bowie song? Aren't the contestants encouraged to make the song their own and be themselves?


(click to enlarge to full-screen size)


Sebastian stood there and took the criticism with a smile on his face and, at times, looked very perplexed. Sebastian was trying to understand what it was that they didn't like - what they were trying to say. I don't think he was really given a definitive answer and I have to wonder what the judges had for dinner because they were harshly critical of many of the contestants' performances, some just and some unfairly.

One of the things I like about Nashville Star is that the judges mentor the contestants week -to- week and they provide detailed feedback to Nashville Star contestants so that they can "build" the next "Star".

In all fairness, perhaps the Canadian Idol contestants do have the opportunity to have discussions with the judges after the show. If not, then perhaps both American Idol and Canadian Idol should take a page from the Nashville Star book. Sebastian was looking for constructive criticism and advice so that he could improve on Week 5 and he didn't get what he was looking for.





"Maybe the reason I like soul music so much is that is inspires with its pain.
The best artists, like Ray Charles, reach out and say,
"You're not alone, brother."
~ Taylor Hicks from 'Heart Full of Soul' ~


video: Taylor Hicks - "Just Once" - Love Songs Week


Personally, I loved the way that Taylor performed "Just Once" and he looked awesome too. Talk about pouring your heart and soul into a song. He did it that night and I still listen to the song today.
I still can't understand why the responses from the judges were so negative. It seemed to me as if they already knew what they were going to say about his performance before we had even heard his first note.


Today's Idol audiences are much more savvy when they "judge" the contestants and thank goodness, it is their fingers that will be doing the dialing this week.

Sebastian, you were "you" and stayed true to yourself.
For the record, I enjoyed your performance. You did the best you could with what you were given and I am sure that you will receive the support from your fans.


Today's cup:


"To be a true artist you have to play the way you feel - not the way others think you should feel."
~ Don Ellis ~

BLUES, SOUL AND A HARMONICA

In a recent interview with Jim Cantiello from MTV News, Taylor Hicks and Jim were discussing Taylor’s role as Teen Angel in the Broadway production of Grease.

“Now we're packing the place out.
It's sold-out every night, and I get to play a little harmonica, which is cool.
I couldn't do that on 'Idol.'
That wasn't the year where you could play instruments."
~Taylor Hicks ~

Things have now changed on Idol and more specifically on Canadian Idol which is the purpose of this blog.

Season 6 of Canadian Idol began a few weeks ago and it promises to be a season of many firsts! This year, the show started with the Top 24 Contestants instead of 22 Contestants because the judges felt that there was so much talent this season.
For the very first time, we have two brothers who are competing independently.
I am referring to Oliver and Sebastian Pigott.
They sing soulful, bluesy music.


Oliver and Sebastian Pigott's Auditions

If you listened closely, you heard one of the judges say “Holy James Dean” after Sebastian performed.
I must confess that I didn’t notice the comment until tonight.
I have been discussing the Pigott Brothers with Allyn, who produces the most superb Taylor Hicks graphic art, as many of us know.
After seeing Sebastian, she immediately sent this to me (click to enlarge photo).



I don’t think that Canada has noticed this yet but Sebastian definitely has an uncanny resemblance to James Dean.

On Tuesday, July 8th, I had one of those "Taylor Hicks moments" after one of the Pigott brothers performed.
This was the Top 16 week and by Wednesday, we would have our Top 10 Contestants.
For the first time since Taylor Hicks won Season 5 on American Idol, I found myself jumping off of the sofa in sheer joy!

Oliver Pigott performed a Bill Withers’ hit, "Lean on Me", right before his brother stepped up to the microphone.


Oliver Pigott - "Lean On Me"


Immediately following Oliver, Sebastian was introduced and he would perform a Sam Cooke song, "Bring It On Home To Me".
Does anyone else see a ‘trend’ here?

Sebastian's entrance to the stage, for me, was a Bublé-like entrance - intriguing for me since Michael is another favourite artist of mine!
A great read - So Different and Yet - Bublé and Hicks




Sebastian Pigott - "Bring it on Home to Me"


A couple of friends of mine called immediately after the performance because they, too, are fans of Taylor Hicks. Like me, the harmonica reminded them of many of Taylor’s performances since AI.

Comments from one of the judges, Sass Jordan, got me thinking.
She said “you are probably one of the smartest, cleverest performers that I have ever seen”.

Did the Pigott Brothers read Taylor’s book, 'Heart Full of Soul' before the CI competition?
It is probably a question that I will never know the answer to, but it is definitely food for thought.

The producers of the show knew that Canada was very interested in the Pigott Brothers and with only one seat left on the Final 10, we had to wait until the very end of the show to find out which one would make it.

"And, the 10th Finalist is .... "


My personal opinion is that Oliver, too, should have made it to the Top 10. You can see his previous performances on YouTube. In the meantime, I wish him the best of luck as he continues along the path of soul and blues music.

Sebastian wore a suit for the performance; he made a dramatic entrance and he has so much charisma on stage. The music flows through his veins before the words of the song come out of his mouth.
There are other contestants who are going to give Sebastian a good run for his money and it will be an interesting trip this season on Canadian Idol. I hope that he continues to play the harmonica because it gives him a distinct advantage.

To be reminded of the magical music of Taylor Hicks on AI Season 5 was absolutely the best experience I have had watching any Idol show in a long time!



I really think that it is fabulous that the harmonica is becoming
more visible.
I can't help but think how awesome it would have been if only Taylor had been able to play it during his stint on AI.





Today's cup:
"Because everything we say and do is the length and shadow of our own souls, our influence is determined by the quality of our being."