Tuesday, February 17, 2009

IT'S LIKE THEY'VE CREATED A MONSTER


PopWatchers, I had my first encounter with the Jonas Brothers and I lived to tell the tale (the slight headache and popping eardrums notwithstanding). The uber-popular trio capped off an astonishingly busy week — one that included stops at Saturday Night Live, David Letterman and, of course, the Grammys (with Stevie Wonder, no less) — by cheering on their good friends the Honor Society at a sold-out show at The Fillmore in New York last night.
So, who are the Honor Society, you ask? They are four well-dressed, well-coiffed guys originally from New Jersey who were fortunate enough to have their EP, A Tale of Risky Business, catch the eye of Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas last summer. Since then, Honor Society have opened up shows for the mega-star siblings, and are now managed by the Jonas Group, which of course also manages the brothers and fellow Disney star Demi Lovato.

“We’ve been lucky to be able to coproduce and cowrite songs for our new album with the Jonases, and we’ve created this cool, creative environment between the four of us and the three of them,” bassist Andrew Lee tells EW backstage. “They have completely welcomed us into the entire Jonas family, and we have all become fast friends.”
The band’s sound — something lead singer Michael Bruno (no, not the EW staffer) characterizes as “if Justin Timberlake had a rock band” — certainly fits the mold of its famous friends: catchy, unassuming, inoffensive pop. So, the question begs to be asked: Are the Honor Society the next Jonas Brothers? Read on after the jump to find out…
• Celebrity Endorsement: Clearly, the Jonas Brothers like the band. They showed up at The Fillmore just to watch from the balcony, and later even made a brief cameo on stage, where plenty of man-hugs and sweet nothings like “can we open for you guys someday” and “Honor Society is the greatest band ever” were dispensed. Young, impressionable teens simply will not be able to resist.• MySpace Phenoms: The Honor Society is fast approaching two million page views, an astronomical number for a band that has not even released a proper album. “MySpace really became our media outlet, and provided the freedom we needed to share our music and connect with our fans in a rewarding, organic kind of way,” Bruno tells me backstage. Judging by the length of the line for the meet-and-greet after the show, catering to their fans is the bands #1 priority.• Showmanship: They know how to work a crowd. Granted, getting teenage girls to scream who are already extremely prone to screaming anyway isn’t all that tough, but the Honor Society were especially adept at getting the crowd all riled up. Fans were singing, clapping, and dancing along while snapping photos and doing all they could to exhaust those poor vocal cords.
Reasons Why Not:• Tactlessness: Forgive the phrasing, but after the on-stage collaboration with the Jonas Brothers that literally made the girl next to me weep, the band started its encore by replaying “Over You,” the Maroon 5-lite song that kicked off the show. To paraphrase: “You’re going to be hearing this song a lot over the next few months,” Bruno explained on stage, “so start learning the words and sing along!” Sure, they have just a handful of songs (and only played for the better part of an hour), but isn’t that like totally not allowed in the concert rulebook?• Age: Age ain’t nothing but a number, true, but the band is said to be “in their 20’s.” Some of them look well into their 20’s, which is a bit older than their colleagues (the oldest Jonas is 21, and Lovato is but 16). But, being grouped with stars from the Disney universe isn’t something Bruno sees as a negative. “Fans are fans, whether they are 13, 33 or 63. When you go into a record store, there isn’t a Disney section, you know?” he tells me. “At the same time, the Jonas Brothers are incredible musicians. You don’t end up on stage playing with Steve Wonder at the Grammys if you aren’t.”• Still Unsigned: While the band says it is currently in the studio recording songs for its first full-length album (due this fall), they skirted around the question of their label status when asked. But really, it’s only a matter of time.
So, what do you think, PopWatchers? Do Honor Society deserve the hype? Are they destined to be the next big thing amongst the Disney set? And is it ever acceptable for a band to play the same song twice at a show? Hit up the comments and weigh in.
[SOURCE: Popwatchers]
BTW, I TOOK THAT PICTURE :D
hehehehhehe

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