Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog

COMMON ROTATION ANYTHING BUT COMMON

Elisabeth and I spent the weekend in Ypsilanti at the Motor City Buffy Con. There, we met truly wonderful actors from two of our favorite television series -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

In attendance were James Marsters, Adam Busch, Danny Strong, Tom Lenk, Kali Rocha, Anthony Stewart Head, Andy Hallett and Amber Benson -- a veritable Who's Who of television stardom from the past 10 years.

Two of the guests exhibited an amazing musical talent. Tony Head ("Giles" on Buffy) performed in concert Saturday night at the banquet. His voice is awe inspiring. Very soulful and powerful.

However, that was not the highlight of my weekend. Meeting the stars was great. Hearing Tony sing was sheer delight. But the most amazing surprise of the entire weekend was Common Rotation, the three-piece band fronted by Buffy's Adam Busch ("Warren," one of the so-called "Nerd Trio").

To put it mildly, Common Rotation blew us away. (And it takes a lot to do that, believe me.) After their concert Saturday night (they started around 11:00 and finished at about 12:30 in the morning), the band graciously stuck around to talk to fans and sign autographs. So I stood in line and when it was my turn to talk to Adam I said, "You're a really good actor. But you totally blew us away tonight with your musicianship." My statement seemed to catch Adam off guard, which surprised me. Surely, he must know how incredible Common Rotation is.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm passionate about music. Way passionate. I own some 2,000 CDs, two iPods and have attended hundreds of concerts in my life. This summer, alone, I have Oasis, Aimee Mann, Robert Plant and Paul McCartney (!) lined up.

I often speak of a band's ability to transcend the moment, to rise above the norm and to create "magic." When I teach at Grand Valley State University, I share the idea of magic with my students. And the band I use as my example is Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Seeing them for the first time four years ago literally changed my life. From that evening on, I measured every event, every concert, by the TSO standard. No band I've seen seen since has matched TSO's ability to hold an audience in total rapt attention.

Until I saw Common Rotation Saturday night.

Common Rotation's music is hard to describe. It's acoustic folk/bluegrass/alt country but with extremely clever lyrics, amazing melodies and tight harmonies all mixed together with a keen sense of humor. Adam's stage presence is riveting. He bobs and sways and grabs the mic with gusto, taking a lead or blending his voice with that of Eric Kufs, Common Ro's very talented guitarist/vocalist.

Adam Busch is not an actor with a secret yearning to be a musician. He's the real deal. And Common Rotation is one of the most unpredictable, creative, and magical bands I've ever seen in my life. Their last song -- an a capella version of the Beatles' classic "With a Little Help From My Friends" -- was spellbinding. You literally cannot take your eyes off this band. You never know what they're going to say or do, or what kind of song style will emerge next.

I could go on and on about Common Rotation. But what I'd really like to do is turn on as many of you as possible to their music so that you can experience them for yourself. Bands like this only come around once in a lifetime. So visit their web site, buy their CDs, and make plans to see this astounding band in concert at your earliest opportunity. (That's where the magic really takes place. Common Rotation is damn cool on CD, but absolutely stunning in concert. The between-song banter and stage-antics, alone, are worth the price of admission.)

If you love music -- and I mean really love music -- I suggest you support these guys with everything you've got.