I will start with my never ending surprise when a singer that I know to be excellent, beautiful, and quite capable, is auditioning for “American Idol” and doesn’t get past the first set of producers.This happened again recently, when Dayna Kovicic  went to New Orleans AND Austin Texas to audition and nothing happened. This girl is as beautiful as Brooke Shields and has talent to spare.

I asked her who was going through? She said some people in costumes and some people who were seemingly normal. She had no expectations because we had talked about the process and I was familiar with other singers I knew to be great singers who also didn’t make the cut. She chalked it up to experience and enjoyed the ride. I was a little more upset and confused. What, I thought, do they want?  Cut to a few weeks later, my student Nancy is planning on auditioning in San Fransisco.Nancy is a teenager, and only recently started with me, and I felt she wasn’t quite ready. I mean, once you get there, If you get there, the competition gets very intense and you need to be a great singer, not just good. That was the problem last season, it was filled with “good” not great singers. The ratings went down, and it lost a lot of it’s magic. There was no one to root for. So, Nancy wants to do this and won’t wait til next year. Now we picked a great song that would be easy for her and showed her personality. Stupid Cupid by Connie Francis and more recently Mandy Moore. we worked hard on the song and I asked her to cut off the notes and clip them to make it authentic and 50′s. You see Nancy has a high Beehive hairdo, and even to lessons wears stilletto’s and her hair high, with cute little dress”s. Nancy would, I know get their attention. But I wanted her to also be able to be able to keep their attention once they saw her.  She always wears eyeliner and red lipstick, that IS who she is. She is what the show is about at the beginning when they find characters in line. But she is for real, and I did not want them to make fun of her or hurt her feelings.

Nancy called me from the first day,” She was handed a green sticker from a man who told her to wear it when she went to sing. She knew then, when no one else had a green sticker, she was probably juiced in. She accepted that and was going to sing great to make sure she stayed in the game. She and the 2 other people with her were rejected. She was crying and going to get her mom when the man ran after her and said “Hey, where are you going?” She told him she was rejected and he said “Oh No, took her by the arm and went back to the table where she sang, and was put through. Now she was happy, she went through the second round of judges and flew home to Vegas , told to come back 2 days later for a third audition. The third audition was the one where they told her she just wasn’t strong enough, and it was a tough competition. She came home happy, knowing she did the best she could, and knowing that her “Look” got her through the first round. I am happy that she was happy. They also had her on camera in line and the cameraman did photograph her and ask about her hair. There is a chance she will be on TV from this interview.  I think Nancy has “it” and will be fine, and this experience was great for her.

Idol has give us a few blessings,  Carrie, Kelly, Daughtry, Jennifer, to mention a few. So this is a recent complaint about the last 2 years. Before that I believe they were on track.

As far as “America’s Got talent” Vegan Michael Grimm is in the finals and he deserves to be. He comes across very well, and having seen him live here in Vegas, I am a big fan. That show is also a circus. A singer going against a dance troupe going against a fire eater going against a duo and on and on! I just don’t get it.

Bring back Star Search, or anything that brought us real talent. Leanne Rhinnes came from star Search, Brad Garrett also. I just am so tired of seeing  people telling people how great they are, and then they get a million dollars for being mediocre. Here we go with another season of millions of singers trying to make it in the business we call Show. Listen, it isn’t all it’s made out to be. It can be a real drag, hence “Fantasia”!!!   Have a back up plan, Take it from me!

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I had the pleasure of seeing the “Just Imagine” John Lennon tribute show, based at Planet Hollywood. I was the most animated person in the room. This was about a Beatle, this is John Lennon music. How can people sit still? Why am I so different that when a drummer starts drumming? I feel it in my bones. This band was so good, I couldn’t possibly sit still.

Speaking to the keyboardist, my friend Cosmo Topper, who came in from los Angeles to do the Las Vegas-based show, I said “Vegas audiences are the worst”, the drummer overheard us, and said “no, L.A. is the worst”.

Well, if that is the case, why is live music still alive at all?  What has happened to people’s souls? I thought the music of The Beatles was universal. The theatre was 1/3 full and half were too young to remember the Vietnam war, the 60′s and the whole hippie movement.

But music is music, it heals the soul, it reminds you that  you are alive. The musician/singer/actor who played John was very very good. I felt like I was at a John Lennon concert.

He mentioned the lost Beatle, drummer, Stuart Sutcliff, who died of  brain cancer. He speaks of the loss when his mother pawned him off on his aunt and then his mum died from an off duty drunk policeman. His father left and seemed to never come back, unclear if he died in the war or something else.

He admits to being a bad husband to Cynthia and worse father to Julian. Then Later on, when the love of his life Yoko gives him a another son Sean. HE is the love of John’s universe. I hope Julian doen’t see this show. He doesn’t pay tribute to anyone but Paul, mentions Ringo and omits George. entirely. But the reason it inspired me to write this because he constantly reminds us that he was unhappy. Success and fame do not bring happiness.

That is what I want to talk about when the show is over. It should be enough to leave a body of work that you are proud of and leave a legacy that will define you. You don’t need the stress and pressure of superstardom.  If that happens to you and you want it, you need to be ready.

You need the right support group around you and advisors. You shouldn’t step on people on your way up.  All the voice coaches, dance and acting coaches that helped you get there should be not left in the dust.  Remember who you are and that is who you need to stay. When you are on stage,  think  “Miley Cyrus” and fans are screaming your name,when the concert is over, and you are alone in your hotel room with 22 more hours until the next show, you need to lead a life that you can be proud of.

You need to be well read, and able to converse at a party with record execs. You need a good education, both in history, english, and the industry. Who was in the “Who”… or the “Doors”? “Traffic”what band members branched out from what bands to be huge stars on their own?

You want it. OK, go for it, but do it with the power of knowledge, and class.

Rock on!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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My student, Torey, and I were talking about age, and the business of getting too old to be marketable. To a degree, a lot of record execs do like them young. But I know of a 29 year old who just showcased in Los Angeles and the label is courting her to join them.

There  are the tween markets, for the 13 year old buyer, but there are other markets for more mature artists in their twenties and yes, even thirties.

I remember K T Oslin, a great country songwriter and singer. She didn’t have her first hit til she was 45. This was in the eighties, and I bought and sang many of her songs. A lot of songwriters don’t intend to become singers, like Carole King and Neil Sedaka, to mention a couple. they somehow wound up singing their own songs.  I noticed on American Idol that Kara DioGuardi is a much better singer than Paula Abdul was, but Kara is known for her great songwriting. Paula was a great dancer who got lucky with material they could tweak in the studio.

When my song in 1964 only went to 75 on the Billboard charts, I was pretty much finished with the label. They wouldn’t spend anymore money on me. But, did I stop? No, I had a great  time singing my way through my life and getting paid well for it. It is a long career that continues, today.

Sometimes things aren’t meant to be, you need to get some life experience and stage experience before you have the pressure of hitting it big. What if you don’t hit big? It isn’t the end the world. In every town in every place of the world, someone is looking for good music.

You won’t have a publicist, a manager, and a makeup artist, you will have more… the control of where you work, hat you wear, and what your pictures look like, you can shape your own image and be your own boss. As someone who did it my way for my entire life, I am living proof, that a has been at 14 can be on top again at 16 and be opening for Steppenwolf!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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I love that the TV show, Glee, has taken off.  The musical numbers are beautifully crafted. The talent is endless. I find the adult content in a high school realistic and brutally honest. My favorite singer {alive} is Idina Menzel, the brilliant casting of her as lea Michelle’s mother, is genious.. They sound so much a like that on the CD I can barely tell them apart.

Every cast member has their own unique talent and niche. They have infused some dancers to really make it a production everytime they do a number. Kristen Chenowith, and Neil Patrick Harris have added a lot. The coach character, antagonist, Jane Lynch can get on my nerves and sometimes I wish she would take a week off. Mercedes, the black singer is amazing, and is consistent. When they took the coach and let her run with Madonna’s Vogue, I was shocked. Even she could sing!

I think all my students should watch this show as homework, this is a study of people who know their craft. triple threats, sing, dance, act. The subject matter may be a little mature for the little ones, but if you are over 11, this show is for you. The producer, Ryan Murphy, has struck a chord with the country. He knew exactly what would work, who would would work, and gave us this magical gift, Glee.

Glee is this generation’s Fame; and they knew the formula. I’m hooked, I am even looking forward to the Thursday night re-runs starting soon. Any show that can do Lady Gaga’s Poker Face as a ballad with Idina and Lea kicking butt, is worth gold.

Watching Glee, in its entirety, or just for the music performances, is worthwhile for every singer. Both Seasons 1 & 2 are out on DVD. It’s worth the investment.

Jessica Marciel

Las Vegas Vocal Training

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In 1964, The Beatles came to America, Capitol Records, my record label was also the distributor. Capitol Records, suddenly distracted by The Beatles, left me, and other artists, high and dry. I lost all my clout with the label and was washed up at 14.

Shortly thereafter, my dad was with Juliet Prowse as her drummer and was seeing Las Vegas as his future.  Against the family’s wishes we all moved to Las Vegas and I had to re-invent myself.

Dennis Hunt a DJ with KENO radio had been playing my record, “Johnny Let me Go“, and frequently had me appear on his show. I opened a concert for Johnny Crawford of The Rifleman TV show, who had a big hit, “Cindy’s Birthday”. this was my first big concert at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

I was in Valley High School, and there were tons of local bands in town. The  Scatter Blues, The Weeds, The Present Tense, Nobody’s Children, Sioux Uprising, The Teenbeats, Kentucky Blue Grass, Loadstone, Later, Kharisma,with John Sterling, Terry Ryan, Jay Mitthauer. Same band, few changes. and the band that I joined, The Little People.

Jessica with Jan Broberg and Mrs. Jensen

The Little People were, Mike Lyman, Mike Friedman, Glenn Cooper, Steve Harvey, Howard Salstein, and myself. We were very popular and appeared on the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Mike Friedman”s father Maurice Friedman was a mob-connected hotel man. The Frontier Hotel. Mike was a spoiled and complex kid. Naturally, I was drawn to him…. What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking, that was the problem. His parents were always out, and he had a nanny that let us all do anything and everything around his golf course home.

We evolved into a better group called  London Fog. That was Bob Lilly, and Glenn Cooper, Mike Lyman, and Mike Friedman and myself.  We worked the Teen Beat Club, and shopping centers, local parties and even a Hotel in Searchlight.

Free Circus

I outgrew my high school musicians soon, and was solicited by  a college band, The Free Circus. Roby Bennet, Bob Byornsen, and Danny Barnett. This was a great band. We covered Stevie Winwood, Cream, and a lot of originals. With this band we got a manager, Jennifer Joseph, and opened for  Santana, Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf,  Three Dog Night, Blue Cheer, Sweetwater, and virtually every headliner who came through town. We even spent a summer in Lake Tahoe, and opened for Steppenwolf, again.

I  distanced myself from Mike Friedman at this time, and started seeing John Sterling, who I met through drummer Jay Mitthauer, {Jaybird}  He was taking drum lessons from my dad. John was in Loadstone and a little older, 24,  My parents were thrilled about this, I’m sure!

But shortly after we began, the band Loadstone became Andy Williams featured band on his TV show, and they were slowly transitioning to Los Angeles.  I made a few weekend trips to see Sterling before we drifted apart.

On one of these trips, we were at A&M studios, they were recording and I ran into my idol, Lani Hall. I had always wanted to be in Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66!!! Just seeing her in the restroom of A&M was thrilling.

Las Vegas Convention Center

Meanwhile, my band, The Free Circus, was getting close to a recording opportunity when our pianist Danny was drafted to  go to Vietnam. He was still in boot camp, when on a  trip to visit him, his parents and brother were hit by a drunk driver and his mother was instantly killed. He got a grief discharge, but we were broken up by then. Danny’s  mother was a beautiful woman and it was so sad.  His dad moved to Morrow Bay and lived on a yacht with the settlement money.

My sister met an agent Bill Loeb, he met with me, flew me to Los Angeles, and my first audition was HAIR. I was blessed! But back to Free Circus. We were close, I loved these guys, Bob had cancer in the 80′s and passed away, but Roby and Danny and I are going to be inducted into the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Little People and London Fog.

Actual London Fog

Mike Friedman died of cancer as well and I was reunited with him at the end. He had nothing left, having snorted his money away and estranged from his sister, who told me, I don’t even care , don’t call me when he dies. I found a place for Mike to stay while he was sick, my dear friend Rene had been letting him live with her but it was going on way too long. She needed help. He abused my friends apartment with beer bottles and cigarettes, and I too, had to ask him to leave. He went back to Rene’s and died.

But I will add that when I was with Free Circus, I did no drugs. No drinking, I was really a serious singer…unlike my London Fog days, when I was a bit messed up and not very mature.

All this led to who I am today, and shaped my values as a singer. Take care of yourself and be on time! My life has been crazy and wonderful, but I wouldn’t trade anything I did. Even missing my prom!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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They said it tonight, on American Idol, and it is said over and over: “You were born to sing”. Well, yeah, thanks, but what do you do if you don’t have the contacts, or “juice” TO GET STARTED.

It is very hard and you must have a plan. If you have read my blogs you know, my dad simply took me up to Capitol Records and I sang behind the president’s desk. Wham, had a contract. Not that easy now.  Not half as easy, so you must plan how to get discovered.

There have been people  discovered  on YouTube. That is one way. If you do it this, make sure you are brilliant to get as many hits as you can.  I have students who are much better than the two final contestants on American Idol so I know it is largely luck and timing.

If you have a backer {financier}, you can find originals and record some great songs and shop them. My student Cherish Berdahl did this.We went to Nashville through a friend of mine, Producer Eric Bikales. Eric found 4 great songs and they are better than anything I have heard on the CMA’s.

The songwriters are Grammy award winning writers, Vince Melemed, Danny Orton and David Kent. These songs and her voice are so strong I know it is a matter of time before It happens for her. She is a better singer now since we recorded in  Oct, so I am in favor of her re-doing the vocals. This is one wasy to go, but it isn’t cheap.

Another way is to go to Los Angeles, get a day job, and sing in clubs every where and every time you can. Learn to read music and be a session singer. Do ANYTHING you can to get out there. Check out people who come on to you, don’t trust anyone. it is easy to do a background check. See if they are in the unions, or just do a search for warrants. It is a rough business and people will promise you everything and give nothing.

My two students D&A have recorded at least 6 sides and one video. They are so close and still it hasn’t happened. They are ready. They dance, sing, have personality, looks to kill and supportive parents. If it is hard for them to get a deal, it is really hard for anyone! A Record label has been courting them for months and no deal yet.

The Fulco Family from here in Vegas, took a few lessons from me, they have just decided to be on “Wife Swap” to get noticed. Any publicity will help; they are smart to do this. They are a modern day “Partridge family” band and they are good.

So bottom line is… get out there, stay active, be creative, and keep at it. Don’t give up, after all, you were born to do it!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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