Bo Bice

[funnygirl422]

Bo may have shot himself in the foot last night with his response to Ryan's question about his age giving him an edge. He should have stopped after acknowledging he has more experience on the stage and performing for audiences. However, he went too far noting that he has his own recording studio, writes his own music, etc. I couldn't help but thinking that since he's gotten the exposure he really doesn't need to win this competition. Anybody else feel this way?

[razorbacker]

I thought that Bo came across well in Ryans questioning. Age does have advantages if for no other reason than length of experience. To answer any other way would be a little disingenious. He also credited all the others for there talents & expressed how glad he was to be included. I found no fault with anything he said.

On a side note, I think it would be great if those that can play an instrument were allowed to accompany themselves. I wonder how many of them play instruments. Apparantly Bo plays many.

[Honeyoats]

That is the same thing I thought last night FunnyGirl....

He would have been better off just saying something like "age is not a factor, talent is the factor...." Just something besides making himself sound superior, to the rest...

When Ryan asked a few contestants if they were worried about being booted...all of their answers were good. If they would have said 'No I am not Worried' that would have sounded a little too sure of themselves.

In some instances it is good to be confident and sure of one's self....but at other times humble is the best approach.

[RubyRed]

As for charisma, if we're talking ON STAGE, I couldn't disagree more with Simon! Constantine may "act more like a rock star" off stage - but I'm not sure that's a plus. Bo comes off as down to earth, and like a really nice guy, not flashy, but he really worked the audience when he sang.

I couldn't agree more. Where as Constantine "acts" cool, Bo "is" cool.

While I don't think Bo will be the next AI4, I do hope he will make it to the finals. Right now, I think he has the most unique voice and that should help separate him from the others.

[funnygirl422]

I couldn't agree more. Where as Constantine "acts" cool, Bo "is" cool.

While I don't think Bo will be the next AI4, I do hope he will make it to the finals. Right now, I think he has the most unique voice and that should help separate him from the others.

Cool or not he's got charisma. Why else would a big handful of "quite a bit older than him" ladies start acting like middle schoolers and not be afraid to discuss it on-line.

Bo is talented but he does not have a unique voice. He just doesn't look like your typical boy bander (thank God) and he's sings songs that are a little more rugged than your typical AI contestant. We must have been in the mood for a change and he couldn't have come along at a better time.

[JonasGrumby]

I want to hear Bo sing "So Far Away" by Staind. Let's see if he can belt that out!

[Grisabella]

Bo may have shot himself in the foot last night with his response to Ryan's question about his age giving him an edge. He should have stopped after acknowledging he has more experience on the stage and performing for audiences. However, he went too far noting that he has his own recording studio, writes his own music, etc. ...

First, I don't think Bo was implying that he's the only one who plays instruments and writes songs. Other AI contestants have been guitar & piano players and songwriters, too.
I kind of thought Bo was trying to balance out the negatives of being one of the "old guys." Lots of viewers - teens and grandmas, especially - will gush over the teenybopper contestants. The teens want to be them or date them and the grandmas want to mother them. The only thing I might fault Bo on about his response was that it was a bit too long. I think the audience's attention span in that context is about 15-20 sec.

I couldn't help but thinking that since he's gotten the exposure he really doesn't need to win this competition. Anybody else feel this way?

As I said earlier, I not only don't think Bo needs the title, I think he'll be better off if he doesn't win it. But the longer he stays in the competition, the more exposure he gets, and the more versatility he gets to display as a singer and performer.

[funnygirl422]

As I said earlier, I not only don't think Bo needs the title, I think he'll be better off if he doesn't win it. But the longer he stays in the competition, the more exposure he gets, and the more versatility he gets to display as a singer and performer.

Yes, but the longer he stays the more he's exposed. Uh, you know what I mean.

[Grisabella]

Interesting article about Bo in the Birmingham Post-Herald
http://www.postherald.com/fe022205.shtml

It appears Bo has G.A.S.!*

On Friday, Birmingham's newest "American Idol" contestant hit the streets of Hollywood in search of a guitar shop.

Forget practicing for his performance ... for the first week of call-in voting on [AI]. He would rather sit and strum to calm his nerves.

"If I go more than three days without playing, I get the shakes and my hair starts to fall out," said Bo Bice ... . Though he owns more than a dozen guitars, ... he hates checking them on a flight, so he has been without for the past few weeks while competing on "Idol."

We already know one of his goals is to own a guitar store. It's got to be really hard for singers who are used to accompanying themselves and playing lead on instruments to have to do a lot of performing without one. No wonder he ran right out an bought another.

..."Idol" fans might be surprised to learn that Bice, 29, describes himself not as a rocker but as a singer-songwriter, and that his most consistent gig for the past two years has been music leader at New Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Cahaba Valley Road.

This bodes well for him on AI and beyond. He seems to be pretty versatile.

...Bice, who was born in Huntsville but grew up in Smyrna, Ga., and spent his high school years abroad in London, moved to Helena in 2002...

High school in London. Sounds like an interesting story. I wonder whom he schmoozed with musically while in England.
Anyway this paragraph explains why Bo says in the AI interview he's "from Atlanta" but Alabama still claims him.

...He has a degree in massage therapy from the North Alabama School of Massage and studied recording engineering at Calhoun College in Decatur, but he said he has never professionally been far from a guitar or a stage.

Hmmm... Those credits ought to help his music career and garner women's interest as well!

The article says Bo was working at Guitar World and met Donny Acton, senior pastor at New Hope and a fan of his music.

"We have a contemporary service, and he's been a big help to me," Acton said. "... I lean on him pretty hard about (pursuing) his musical talent." ...

...Bice's mother, Nancy Downes, of Atlanta, made the trip with him and spent her 50th birthday sleeping on a concrete floor with thousands of other hopefuls in support of her son, Bice said. ...

Ah, another "mama's boy singer?" (Ruben, Clay, Bo, ... Elvis.)

This week, the marquee at New Hope church reads "Go Bo," and members at the church have formed call-in crews to contact all the churches of the regional denomination and encourage them to watch and to vote for Bice.

That brings back memories of some home-town organizing going on for a few AI2 contestants. :

...Whether or not Bice wins the "Idol" title, Acton said he believes this is the beginning of a career for Bice.

"Because of the talent that's in him ... he's going to get a record contract," Acton said. "Somebody would be not too smart if they didn't pick him up in a recording contract."

Bice said he wants to pursue music full time again when his stint on "Idol" ends. ...

I have no doubt Bo's gonna land on his feet, with a big career boost from AI, even if (perish the thought) he should get eliminated next week. Unlike a lot of AI finalists, Bo's accomplished and experienced enough to really get a lot of mileage out of the AI exposure, even if his time in front of the TV viewers is only a few weeks.


*"Guitar Acquisition Syndrome" (I tend to have that, myself.) :

[suncat7]

Thanks for posting that, Grisabella.....that made me like Bo even more.

He just seems so genuine to me...he is what he is. He just seems like he has a truly good spirit and a good heart.

I hope he makes the final 12.