David Cook, finally names his band. The name he and his band are considering strongly right now is…
David Cook and the Anthemic.
David revealed the news in an interview with Darren Ferraira of KHOP 95.1, Modesto, CA on Friday.
Ferraira twittered a challenge to David Cook fans–that if he reached 1000 followers by noon Pacific time on Sunday, he would reveal, with David’s permission, the band’s name.
Cook fans, eager to know the new name, quickly met the goal, and the video with the reveal was posted at noon PST.
Watch the video HERE.
After getting the OK from his handler, David spilled the news to Ferraira, “I think the name of the band we’re going to go with…the one we’re thinking of is…the Anthemic, David Cook and the Anthemic.
“It’s an anthem, it’s epic, it’s big,” explains David, “that’s what I feel the band has the potential to be, it’s where we want to go.”
David adds, “We tried for months for band names, and it’s the one we’re shooting for at the moment.”
ETA: The name is a bit of a puzzler (Anthemic? oh Anthem. I get it. Sort of.) and it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Hm. Not loving the name at this time.
And most of us those songs that Sassycatz just endorsed I view as good songs but not good radio songs, thus proving the point that people have very different perspectives on what is the best choice for a single.
All of those songs are not good radio songs?! I can see where Bar-ba-sol might not be — and oddly enough THAT’S the one they release but not promote in any way — but not the others? I mean if we’re going for insipid, I agree the rest of the songs do not measure up to the vacuity that is Come Back to Me. Even David dosen’t seem that enthusiastic about it. He looks dead in the eyes everytime he mentions that it’s his latest single.
I just can’t buy that 19/RCA put together an album for the American Idol where only two songs were suitable for release to radio. They’re not artistes. None of this stuff is Stairway to Heaven. They’re definitely in it for promotion, play, and money.
With all respect, if you think David Cook a genius, you obviously haven’t had all that much experience with geniuses.
I had the pleasure of seeing Monty play at the Birchmere, and while YMMV, I really enjoyed him. He interacted well with the other band members, looked like he was happy to be there and was having a lot of fun. And if the band is having fun, the audience usually is having more fun too. The fact that he raises the average age of the band to a bit wider margin above the age of consent is an added bonus. I’m not personally expecting him to stay, but would be happy to see him do so.
As far as singles go, that water has not only flown under the bridge, it’s down the river and out to the ocean. Can’t wait to see what they do with DCTR#2 though.
Yea for over 300 posts!
Not really loving the band name but am sort of ambivalent about it. Saw Monty performing with the guys at Foxwood. Thought he was a great fit with the rest of the band.
I could maybe see Declaration doing as well on CHR as Light On did if it had been released as the first single. But the other songs that you mentioned? Nope. I can’t see ADAM on the radio at all. It’s great for what it is—end of the CD/end of the concert anthem/singalong, but given its structure, etc., I don’t see it as a radio song for any format. KotN is one of my favorite songs on the CD, but I don’t particularly see it as a radio song, either. Ditto for BBS. I’d have liked to have seen what it would do on HAC, and if it could have somehow caught on at CHR, but it would have been a risky call for RCA. Heroes is an interesting one—I never really saw it as a radio song, until that ESPN football montage last season, but I still have my doubts as to how it would do on the radio. That still leaves a healthy chunk of the record as potential singles in my book. And again, this just demonstrates that different people have different views as to what would are the best radio songs from this CD. [So, thanks for proving my point.]
I do think that a lot of music fans mistake “song I like” for “song that would do well on the radio.” Sometimes those categories coincide, but often not.
I think the name is a joke. Dave Cook “and the mic”. Did he just punk everyone?
Not true. He was soooooooo excited about the video and talked it up in practically every radio interview a month and a half on its release. He conceptualised it with the Director and really got into the “acting” LOL. Apart from that I remember how excited he was when it hit #1 on VH1 – he announced it at a concert stop (can’t remember which and too lazy to go dig that vid now), and has mentioned it at every concert stop since with enthusiasm (again too lazy to go dig the vids, but they’re there). And as usual, he and the band have taken time to re-work the live version, by among others bringing in Andy and Kyle more prominently into the vox. The best version (for me) is the Jimmy Fallon version. I’ve never seen David “dead in the eyes” but if he looks that way to you, probably it’s coz he lacks sleep as he’s repeatedly claimed LOL.
I know that song is not popular here at MJs, but it gets great scores at itunes, Rate The Music, and even on DCO (relative to other songs on the record). After 3 months out, it’s still climbing on HAC and AC (yeah, not CHR, but I think it still reaches a few million ears?). As long as it’s climbing, I don’t think they’ll pull the plug on it.
I think if there is a next single, it will either be Lie or Life On The Moon (more likely since it hasn’t been played a lot live and feels more like an autumn-winter song LOL), because along with LO and CBTM, all are mentioned on the sticker of the first release of the record by the label. And the label picks the singles.
readon: “and the mic” is not the name of the band.
David Cook and The Anthemic is the name. And he annoucned it last night in concert, so I think he is sticking with it.
as for “and the mic” that’s just fans joking around.
Hey now, let’s not blame it on mj’s folks. The song isn’t that popular with a lot of fans on the official webpage either, let’s be honest, and also, a lot of David’s fans post here too (raises hand). A lot of us like the song okay, but don’t think it was the best choice for a single. It’s an opinion, fans are allowed to have them, and there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with the label’s choices.
By the way, being excited about the video isn’t the same as being excited about the single choice. I don’t think he was excited about the single selection either. I think he would have rather had a different song. That’s my belief and how I’ve interpreted things he’s said and done. I think he would have preferred a different single (have no idea which one). I could be totally wrong but it’s what I think. ymmv.
I think you greatly underestimate fans. I think we know the difference between personal preference and what we think would do well on the radio. I say *think* because let’s face it, nobody knows. The experts don’t know and neither does the label. If they knew, every song they put out would be a hit. Which often is not the case. It’s an educated guess.
Personally, I think KOTN and Breathe Tonight would make killer radio hits. Absolutely. I also think IDIFY might be a hit. We’ll probably never find out but I can see those songs on the radio and they would fit in well with many songs out there now. IMO.
I don’t think the label are all-knowing and all-wise.
That cd cover was created last autumn, it’s probably not written in stone. It was their plan or best guess at the time, but they could change their mind I think.
I agree. I don’t like Andy’s voice for lead, didn’t like it on MWK, but do like his harmonies, and I don’t think David needs to share the lead singing with anyone. I wouldn’t mind Andy singing lead on one song per show, but I think they need to add 3-4 more songs first (which I think they should do anyway). I do think Andy is cute now though and I like him and his videotaping and twittering and everything else except singing lead. (Maybe the MWK recordings didn’t do his voice justice, as I do like his current harmonies. But, his voice cannot compare with David’s and would never have achieved the kind of success they are having now, I do not believe. I hope that David, even though he has a “band” self identity, never forgets or fails to know that he is the voice that fans want, he is the reason for the fame and adulation. No matter how much we might like the band members, for virtually all fans, it is David that brought us here and who keeps us here.)
Agree again. I think they probably thought it would be the most successful 2nd single. Even if I would have preferred they chose something else. It has done well. I think other songs would do at least as well, and are better songs, not to mention that David co-wrote them. But I don’t think the label wanted the song to fail. A part of me does wonder though if they did promise the writers (or someone) it would be the 1st or 2nd single. That is possible and doesn’t even require one to believe in conspiracies to think it.
I thought that Simon meant by “worthy” that it was overly-earnest.
I have been around so-called geniuses, some noble prize winners, and many of them don’t know how to make coffee! So … no great shakes.
I think, as long as they are working this album — and they are — then the issue of singles is very valid. Plus … I gotta hope they learned something from this and that is, trust DC and his talent, because I believe they didn’t. (One exception: do NOT let him name any bands.)
I’m talking about the song, not the video. When he introduces the song, he does not look enthusiastic to me. If it had been up to David, I would bet my life he’d have chosen another song.
I like a lot of the other songs. I can’t believe none of them are radio ready. Seriously, fans are the public — aren’t we? We’re not some alien species. Since we are the buying and listening public, I have got to believe we matter and many fans prefer the other songs. When Light On came out and then Come Back to Me, there was a great deal of disappointment — and not just among fans. That means something. They should take note!
By the way, I don’t mean to sound hostile or anything. This is something that just simmers under the surface with me and, every once in a while, it just lets loose.
I totally agree with you. I was at Cal State Fair last Fri for David Cook’s concert. Thousands of fans patiently waited around the bus just want to have a glimpse of David. The other band members come in and out the bus or walk around but nobody cares. I am very impressed about how popular David is. David Cook is a brand.
True, fans are part of the public. But my point is that the “best” songs on a CD—the songs that may be the highest quality songs or the ones that best express something about the artist—may not be the most radio-friendly. To me, the best quality song on DCTR is Permanent, and I absolutely adore that it got a high-profile spotlight at the AI Finale. But I don’t see it as a radio song and was not surprised that it did not get even token spins from more than a small handful of stations after the finale. I may listen to A Daily AntheM and say, wow, that is so DC—but that doesn’t mean that a song that essentially only has one verse ( bridge and lots of chorus) and is wholly different from what I’m hearing on CHR would get any CHR play, or even have a shot at HAC play. Obviously, MMV—I’ve seen fans champion both of those songs as the best choice for a DC single. Similarly, I have long wanted to see Lie have the chance to strut its stuff as a single—but I’ve seen other fans say “anything but Lie!” So, yeah: mileage does vary.
And I don’t think that I’m dissing DCTR at all to say that some of the songs don’t strike me, personally, as radio songs. Few, if any CDs, are made up entirely of songs that would get radio play, and I actually think that it’s a plus that so many of the songs on DCTR that I don’t view as potential singles are good- to excellent-quality songs. For so many CDs, the “non-singles” are filler, and that’s not true here.
Anyway, we’ll probably get a new single at some point in September, and then the portion of the Cook fandom that thinks that it was the best choice for the next single can fight with the various portions of the Cook fandom that prefer different songs. Cuz we all know that there will be disagreement on that, right? [smile]
David looks really cute in that picture by the way.
This is from about 12 hours ago, but it stuck in my head because I’ve heard Chris Cornell tell that story about David’s A&R asking CC for a song, and I’ve heard David say that his A&R guy brought him a song submitted by CC. Because of that, it seems pretty clear to me that RCA engineered the use of a CC song and most probably did intend for it to be the single right from the start. I’m sure David was thrilled to be given a song by one of his Idols, but nothing will ever convince me that it was the best choice for his first single. Just the fact that he still can’t really sing it live without getting help from the audience (either singing part of the song for him or cheering during opportune moments while he catches his breathe) makes it a stupid choice in my mind. I’ve also noticed that neither he nor the rest of The Anthemic (heh) are anywhere near as enthusiastic when they perform CBTM as they are when they perform I Did It for You, for example, as others have pointed out. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he stops singing them live once he’s got another 2 or 3 hits that he can sing instead. Heck, he stopped singing TOML as soon as he had another song he could sing, and he doesn’t always do either LO or CBTM even now (see- HRD).
Sassycatz and Oceana, it’s like you’re in my head today. ITA with everything you’ve said.
Cathy, same to you (and Sassy) sharing a brain today.
I tried to read as many comments as possible, but couldn’t. Apologies if what I’m saying has been said before.
I was at the Sacramento concert where this interview took place. The interviews took place in a portable building – like where they stick classes when schools are too crowded. That’s why it looks so drab.
I met the DJ that did the interview – he was really nice, and he really did take a lot of advice from some die-hard Cook fans, so he asked a lot of stuff that people want to know. I was sitting next to this mother/daughter pair who were coaching him on what to ask. They knew so much! They are the ones who told the DJ to ask about the band name – they said he would get a lot of response over it. I guess they knew what they were talking about! I love DC’s music, but dang, I know nowhere near as much about him as some people do.
Also, I managed to win meet and greet passes and took a picture with David and the band. The new guy wasn’t in the picture, so I am guessing that means he’s just a hired hand until they get someone permanent. He didn’t end with “A Daily AntheM.” When he came out for the encore, he said that they usually come up with a set list beforehand, but sometimes they will switch it up based on what they’re feeling. So the encore was “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight” and “Light On.”
As far as the band name – I like the spirit behind it, but not necessarily the execution. I don’t care, as long as they still sound good.
This is how the “boring” meaning seems to have come about, from my perspective anyway – in the past, people tended to soften a criticism by saying something like – “well, what you are doing is is very worthy, but….”, usually the “but” is followed by “it is a bit dull”, or “it’s not very well done”, i.e. trying to say something positive when what you want to say is something negative. The “worthy but….” usage then became more common. Some time in I think the late 80s I started hearing people dropping the “but” part – “this is just a bit worthy – you know, a bit boring” and just as quickly they dropped the bit that explained what they meant, and it ended up as “this is just a bit worthy”. The full change in meaning from the positive to the negative seems to have happened within a year or two
But the problem with a word that doesn’t mean what it says is that many people don’t know its exact meaning, so you get a number of possible answers, especially for the word that implies a lot of things. Being earnest is certainly part of this idea of “worthy”, but the point is that there is a “but” missing, and what comes after the “but” is what the speaker wanted to say but didn’t (which may be “your earnestness is boring the hell out of people”). Of course a word like that can morph easily because its precise meaning isn’t spelt out, so who knows, you could be right as to what Simon intended it to mean.
I’m not really liking the name. IA with those that said it reminded them too much of anemic. That’s what I read at first. As Mj said “anthemic” doesn’t roll off the tongue.
I love David Cook but I’m not liking that name at all. I have been reading snatches of blogs here and there and that word popped up out of context and I couldn’t figure out what the heck everyone was talking about. Now I google it and find out that is what DC wants to call his band.
I don’t even know why he needs to name the band at all. It’s all about him, his voice, his sound, etc., not about the band. Band members are replaceable but David Cook is not. He put out his platinum selling debut album without his band, so….If he had to have a name for them, how about EEB being what the fans called it to begin with. The term anthemic describes the feel (atmosphere)of the music. As I said, It’s about David Cook not his back up band. I don’t go to see Cook in concert/tour to be moved by the music . Though they are a good band, they don’t have a particular “presence.” David Cook has that “presence.”
You are of course entitled to buy a ticket for whatever reason you choose.
But if I were a working musician, that statement would depress me unutterably.
I think it is very important to him to be seen as someone who has value beyond his voice and personal charisma, or he wouldn’t be interested in writing for other people as well as himself.
And I fundamentally disagree that the band does not have a presence. They are all clearly talented and engaging in their own right, and I would at least give an ear to any projects with which they chose to get involved in the future. I have no intention of following them if I don’t like the music, but I won’t continue to follow Cook if I don’t care for his future direction, either.
He values and respects their contributions, so he is giving them a name. That speaks both about his character and about how he sees things progressing in the future.