Alumnus on The Next Great American Band
By Heidi Heater, a junior from Jackson, Ky.
WILMORE, KY—Asbury College alumnus Matt Rost ’96 and his band, The Muggs, competed in FOX’s newest reality TV show, The Next Great American Band. The Muggs, a rock n’ roll band, were eliminated Nov. 9.
Ironically, Rost and his band never asked for an audition. The show’s producers found them in Detroit and flew the group to Las Vegas for an official audition.
“We entered the competition on a lark,” said Rost, drummer and member of The Muggs for six years. “A fan of the band told us to send in an application.”
Rost hasn’t always played rock n’roll. During his time at Asbury College, he was a member of the jazz band and the Salvation Army student fellowship band. “I had so much fun in those bands,” Rost said. “They were great for me because they stretched me as a musician. I learned so much from Dr. Holz, Mr. Curnow and professor Kevin Sparks.” Rost also gave percussion lessons to community members.
Rost said the auditions were the most nerve-wracking part of the competition. After making the show, Rost relaxed until he found out The Muggs had to play songs by writers such as Elton John. “We entered this competition thinking we were going to play our original songs,” he said. “When we learned we were going to have to learn cover songs.”
Rost admits that the band has some limitations, but feels that their bluesy music is filling a niche missed by both the younger and older generations. In the future, The Muggs plan to perform more shows and record a new album.
In addition to Rost, band members include guitarist Danny Methric and bass player Tony Denardo.
As does American Idol, this show aims to find America’s next band through a process of weekly auditions and viewer voting. Judges include, Ian “Dicko” Dickson, Shelia E., drummer and bandleader, and John Rzeznik, guitarist and lead singer for Goo Goo Dolls.
Released: Dec. 14, 2007
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