Charlotte Singer/Songwriters Impress INXS Rockstar Producers

Mark Burnett Productions (the makers of Survivor and the Apprentice) were impressed with Charlotte singer/songwriters who auditioned for their new reality show, Rockstar.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) February 4, 2005

Last week, Mark Burnett Productions (the makers of Survivor and the Apprentice) held auditions in Charlotte as part of their search for contestants for a reality show to find the next lead singer of INXS. The production company held an open call on Tuesday at Charlotte's newly-reopened Milestone club. On Wednesday, pre-screened local talent was invited to audition. Performers could either play and sing live, sing while accompanied by 1 musician, or sing to a backing track. Because contestants may be asked to write songs, original songs were encouraged. The reality show, called Rockstar, will air in 13 episodes on CBS this summer. Once selected for the show, contestants will live in a Hollywood mansion and compete in weekly performances for 13 weeks. Contestants progress each week based on judging by industry experts, a live TV audience, and the surviving members of INXS.

Before reaching Charlotte, Mark Burnett Productions had already completed auditions in Atlanta and Orlando. A spokesperson for the production company said, "Three cities done and we are off to a great start. We've heard some great covers, great renditions of INXS songs and quite a few good original tunes." The band have already started to review the tapes and are impressed with the incredibly high level of quality. The spokesperson added, "We are psyched at the future for the band, and the cities so far have really set the bar at a very high level. So the heat's on the rest of the cities we're visiting to step up to the mark."

Brian Hartzog, frontman and songwriter for The Funk and Roll Show, commented on the day's proceedings: "When the talent producer first invited me to audition, I was skeptical...I didn't want to be part of an American Idol-style singing contest. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is the only opportunity unsigned artists like myself have to play original songs to a national audience...and I couldn't pass it up." Some of the other local artists asked to audition included Jason Hausman, Todd Brown of Withstand, and Patrick Jason of Ultralush.

The Rock Star auditions are held next in Nashville, New York and Minneapolis before the show winds its way across the rest of North America, Europe, and Australia.

INXS Rockstar Information/Media Update: http://www.inxsrockstar.com

Milestone Club: Neal at 704.398.0472

For questions about Brian Hartzog, contact:

Contact:Brian Hartzog

    Indie Boy Music

Phone:    704 953-7358

Email:    brian@brian.hartzog.com

URL: http://www.brianhartzog.com

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