Dave Matthews rip-off on American Idol

pandora · February 2012

musicismylife78 wrote:

and i dont think being original is any part of getting on these shows. How many female vocalists on these shows are influenced by janis joplin, or aretha or beyonce or mariah or pink or britney, or kelly clarkson, or whoever? how many of the male singers have the same sort of singing style as daughtry? or are influennced by commercial rock music?

i dont really think we can get away from our influences.

as i said walk near some dorm during april or may, and see a bunch of kids congregating outside on benches with guitars singing and playing jack johnson, and dave songs.

yes music speaks to us ...
influences even those who are unmusical ... to have the gift though and share it is magical

these kids just want to share it ... just have to

helplessdancer · February 2012

didn't the stones rip off a bunch of old blues artists?

get your inspiration from where/who you want and carry on

"where imitation is the greatest form of flattery"

Lifted · February 2012

some of you are being a bit sensitive if you ask me.

yes, this guy is someone's talented child. everyone is someone's child, so i'm not sure i understand the point. and for the record, while he may be young, this 'kid' is actually an adult and should be treated as such. when you make the decision to put your talents up to be judged on a platform like american idol, you are opening yourself up to criticism. that's all this is.

musicismylife - "i didn't really get a hint of dave on this one" - REALLY!? you can't be serious. you are the only one. besides the panel of judges who have apparently never heard dave matthews.

as for all musicians having influences...yeah. well that is certainly true, but this goes way beyond that in my opinion. this isn't a subtle homage, or just a similar playing style...this is an exact clone. this is like an elvis impersonator singing non-elvis songs as elvis and acting as if it's his own style. following? one thing that eddie vedder and dave matthews have in common are very distinct vocal deliveries. they are so unique that you really can't borrow from them without ripping them off. scott stapp failed miserably at this. this guy actually seems like he's spot on with his imitation, but what is irritating me is that dave matthews has yet to get credit for it. and it goes beyond vocal delivery. mannerisms, facial expressions, outfit, you name it. it's just too similar for me to write this off as merely an influence.

and for anyone thinking that this has no relevance regarding american idol, you're wrong. just a few years ago there was a guy they had on who thought he was jim morrison. much like with how phil phillips is channeling dave matthews. he sang the same, made the same faces, had the same mannerisms, and wore similar clothes. the jim morrison clone got called out on it more and more as the the competition progressed until the judges finally gave him the axe. the week before it came down to audience votes if i recall. all i'm asking is that this guy gets the same treatment.

as for the show. this wasn't a thread meant to bash american idol. i obviously watch it and enjoy it or i wouldn't have seen it to start this thread. i actually think they have some good contestants this year. the dave matthews kid is just getting on my nerves with his stolen style. that's all. maybe if he was a little more outspoken with his love for dave matthews it wouldn't bother me as much...we'll see though, maybe he'll be gone in a couple of weeks. i just don't see that happening with all of the praise he's been getting.

pandora · February 2012

funny I can't tolerate Dave Mathews music and I really like Phil

hmmmm

but we sure haven't seen that much of him and the kids grow so much
throughout the show, it is always fun to watch the progress

what about the very deep baritone duet now that was cool 8-)

Lifted · February 2012

pandora wrote:

what about the very deep baritone duet now that was cool 8-)

yeah that was great. though the cowboy could use some work on his social skills.

pandora · February 2012

Lifted wrote:

pandora wrote:

what about the very deep baritone duet now that was cool 8-)

yeah that was great. though the cowboy could use some work on his social skills.

he... oh yes... I thought his song partner was gonna smack him

I'm not sure cowboy will stay
his voice not as strong as Scotty but again have hardly heard them yet

12345AGNST1 · February 2012

dcfaithful wrote:

12345AGNST1 wrote:

That was one of the most blatant rip offs i've ever seen. I agree with OP, guy had no originality. I bet the judges realized that too, but its whatever makes $$$$. american idol is the worst show to hit the US in history.

Maybe he can get a gig in las vegas as a dave matthews impersonator.

I know you're a fan, but Jersey Shore has got to be a contender for that title as well man. That show has just as much value, if possibly less, than American Idol.

Im ehh about that show now. 5 seasons of the same crap gets old. But I disagree. Everyone realizes jersey shore is a trashy show. Its not trying to be a quality show. American idol is much worse because they act like its such a great show but its really just an easy way to make more piss poor pop music to shove down our throats. they're taking people with good voices and turning them into mainstream crap. I would never want to sacrific my style for some shitty record label endorsed by american idol.

Aaron 23 · February 2012

That was almost painful.

Attaway77 · February 2012

I think he can jam... Hope this guy goes somewhere with his music...

musicismylife78 · February 2012

i honestly dont see the comparison to dave at all. his voice doesnt sound like daves. the only thing they have in common may be the dress attire, sandals and an acoustic guitar and looking like a college student. If anything the guy on AI is closer to a jack johnson type than dave.

Lifted · February 2012

musicismylife78 wrote:

i honestly dont see the comparison to dave at all. his voice doesnt sound like daves. the only thing they have in common may be the dress attire, sandals and an acoustic guitar and looking like a college student. If anything the guy on AI is closer to a jack johnson type than dave.

perhaps you've never actually listened to dave matthews either then. seriously, what are you smoking?

try this one out...skip to the 1:20 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY7qM2qzFgw&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLF72562157577DEFF

this dude looks and sounds just like dave when he's performing. there's nothing to argue about. if you disagree, you're just arguing to argue. if you don't have a problem with him completely mimicking someone else's style then that is just fine and your prerogative...but to deny that he is doing it is asinine.

...also...was unaware that dave matthews wore sandals while performing. funny that that's one of the similarities you picked out.

musicismylife78 · February 2012

Lifted wrote:

musicismylife78 wrote:

i honestly dont see the comparison to dave at all. his voice doesnt sound like daves. the only thing they have in common may be the dress attire, sandals and an acoustic guitar and looking like a college student. If anything the guy on AI is closer to a jack johnson type than dave.

perhaps you've never actually listened to dave matthews either then. seriously, what are you smoking?

try this one out...skip to the 1:20 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY7qM2qzFgw&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLF72562157577DEFF

this dude looks and sounds just like dave when he's performing. there's nothing to argue about. if you disagree, you're just arguing to argue. if you don't have a problem with him completely mimicking someone else's style then that is just fine and your prerogative...but to deny that he is doing it is asinine.

...also...was unaware that dave matthews wore sandals while performing. funny that that's one of the similarities you picked out.

how many acoustic guitar wielding frat boy looking guys have been popular lately? You obviously, as ive pointed out multiple times have never set foot on a college campus. in april and may you see kids on every bench on campus with guitars playing these types of songs.

off the top of my head, i can think of jack johnson, xavier rudd, early ben harper, donovan frankenreiter, matt costa, brett dennen who play similar type tunes that wouldnt be out of place at some campfire beach singalong. and the list of acoustic singer songwriters who have been popular all decade long, from Damien Rice, to John Mayer. to Josh Radin, Cary Brothers, Iron and Wine, some Bright Eyes and on and on, is endless.

Why pick out dave as an influence and say he is copying him? the guy in the video could be as influenced by Welcome to the Cruel world era Ben Harper, or Jack Johnson or damien rice or John Mayer.

You obviously havent been following musical trends the last decade. frat boys with guitars singing those types of songs is ubiquitous.

dave may be an influence, but why not accuse him of copying John Mayer? its ignorant to not delve into this issue in a deeper manner than "he sounds like he;s a dave ripoff". What musician sounds completely unique?

Im a fan of bright eyes, lifted, and i know you are. Conor isnt immune to this either. He released several of my favorite records of all time this past decade, but he sounds like his influences as well.

As i said before, we cant escape our influences. Even Radiohead cant.

musicismylife78 · February 2012

i think you may need to check out the singer songwriter genre of the last decade if the only person you think of as doing that sort of music is dave matthews.

a guy with an acoustic guitar who sings those types of songs is hardly unique. dave matthews may be one of the more successful examples of that genre or style of music, but he's hardly alone.

Hell the guy could be as influenced by James Taylor or carole king 1970's singer songwriter types as opposed to anything else

i definitely see some similarities, the voice inflections, and the way he dances, the lfting up of his feet, are all dave-esque, but again, john mayer does similar inflections with his voice and is known for doing those types of dances as well.

Lifted · February 2012

musicismylife - really unbelievable how you've managed to take a simple thread about a guy on american idol trying to be dave matthews and use it to woo us once again with your vast musical knowledge.

i listen to plenty/enough singer songwriters for my taste, but thanks for telling me what i should be listening to.

fyi - i set foot on a college campus 3 times a week. i see plenty of college kids and fail to see your point.\\

the video speaks for itself. i don't think i need to further defend the fact that this guy is specifically emulating dave matthews.

try this out...do a google search. phil phillips dave matthews. see how many links you'll find. you act as if i'm the only one who has recognized this guy ripping off dave matthews. it's actually all over the internet. like i said...you are the only one who doesn't see it.

DewieCox · February 2012

He's got alot more goin on that's comparable to Dave Matthews than a standard fratboy acoustic rocker. He gets some similar facial expressions which seem really forced, the way he starts dancing( when Jlo mentions a James Brown thing). Not familiar with all the artists that musicismylife mentioned, but Dave has a really identifiable guitar style and it's totally different from at least Jack Johnson and James Taylor.

When John Mayer got big I can remember gobs of comparisons to Dave. Since he's somehow become some sorta modern day guitar hero that's mostly ended, but he still does the Dave vocal thing in the stuff I hear.

musicismylife78 · February 2012

DewieCox wrote:

He's got alot more goin on that's comparable to Dave Matthews than a standard fratboy acoustic rocker. He gets some similar facial expressions which seem really forced, the way he starts dancing( when Jlo mentions a James Brown thing). Not familiar with all the artists that musicismylife mentioned, but Dave has a really identifiable guitar style and it's totally different from at least Jack Johnson and James Taylor.

When John Mayer got big I can remember gobs of comparisons to Dave. Since he's somehow become some sorta modern day guitar hero that's mostly ended, but he still does the Dave vocal thing in the stuff I hear.

I was more concerned with the blanket idea that anyone with that voice or dance moves is somehow automatically a rip off.

I love PJ. But i hate to break it to people, pearl jam has identifiable influences. Ed would say this to our faces if he was here. Im not sure why sounding like another artist is an unforgivable sin.

What artist in the last 20 years, hasnt sounded like their influences?

Great point about the Mayer and Dave connection. And I would argue he's still a really respected guitarist. I'd say hes one of the best of our generation. The facial expressions are similar to mayer though as well as dave.

guitar style, or the style of how you play the guitar is but one aspect of this guys persona and any artists persona. He has a look. And a vocal styling. He plays a certain type of guitar and plays it a certain way.

what im arguing is to seperate dave as his only influence is silly because im sure the guy has listened to more than dave, and additionally, as ive pointed out, acoustic guitarist singer songwriters are a dime a dozen. Is the song that guy played more like a Room For Squares era John Mayer or a Dave song? How can you seperate that from one another?

I'd encourage anyone here who isnt familiar with the bands and artists i listened to above to listen to them.

im not sure how sounding like another artist is a bad thing. The Beatles, Radiohead, Elvis, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, all great artists, but to suggest none of them sound like someone else or their influence is ignorant at best

musicismylife78 · February 2012

Lifted wrote:

musicismylife - really unbelievable how you've managed to take a simple thread about a guy on american idol trying to be dave matthews and use it to woo us once again with your vast musical knowledge.

i listen to plenty/enough singer songwriters for my taste, but thanks for telling me what i should be listening to.

fyi - i set foot on a college campus 3 times a week. i see plenty of college kids and fail to see your point.\\

the video speaks for itself. i don't think i need to further defend the fact that this guy is specifically emulating dave matthews.

try this out...do a google search. phil phillips dave matthews. see how many links you'll find. you act as if i'm the only one who has recognized this guy ripping off dave matthews. it's actually all over the internet. like i said...you are the only one who doesn't see it.

im not trying to prove anything. you turned it personal, when you called me names, accused me of smoking something as of course i couldnt possibly have a valid point, and that if i disagreed with your point, or opinion then i was arguing for arguings sake.

my main point was to suggest the obvious. dave matthews isnt unique in his style of music. like him or dislike him. and to tell me this phil phillip is aping dave, which implies a lesser quality artist, I assume the OP wasnt praising phil phillip by calling him a rip off.

If you choose to compare artists to other artists and fail to bring in the larger musical climate, i dont really have any sympathy for that.

If you are aware of the artists i mentioned thats fine. if you arent thats fine as well. But ultimately, i think the main point is, yes, Dave is an influence. But so are every single musician i mentioned in my above post. I dont think you can say Dave is any more an influence than John Mayer, or Brett Dennen to this guy. Or Ray Lamontagne.

I think peoples influences are more complex than one artist. I think this guys influences are more complex than that. Who was ever influenced only by one artist and one artist only, ever?

the point about the college campuses seemed to me to be pretty straightforward. I went to college. I went to college in the mid to late part of this past decade. I was living on campus and observed kids and students looking similar to dave and john mayer and everyone else i mentioned. the style of music this phil phillip is singing isnt unique, nor is it exclusively dave type music. He could be as influenced by the whole surf rock sound of last decade as anything else.

How does Mayer fit into this? I assume you know what john mayer looks and sounds like. What he sounds like on Room For Squares. What instruments he plays and how he plays them? What his face looks and contorts to while singing? And how he dances? Right? So, how is his persona seperable from that? How do you say, he's a dave ripoff and not a John Mayer ripoff?

I dont think or expect everyone to be experts in music. Not everyone has time to do that. I do think if you arent aware of something, or have a surface view of something its going to be evident though.

This guy is as influenced by the surf rock sound of early ben harper and john mayer as he is by dave.

musicismylife78 · February 2012

you started this thread to bash this phil phillip guy. thats your right. But your stated view point was that since he was a rip off in your point of view, this meant he was lesser and rubbish.

People like soundalikes or people who are influenced by other artists, if they like those artists.

Pearl Jam sounding like their influences is fine. And people are myopic in their views. They tend to view bands they have major respect for as being peerless and being a band that is above sounding like their influences.

Influences and sounding similar to other artists is common and is common in most art forms, music or otherwise.

the most important band of our generation and the most famous song of the 90's was a stated ripoff of the Pixies. and he pixies themselves were influenced by certain bands

The beatles in later years were influenced by Ravi Shankars sitar. One could argue one of the most famous and beloved George Harrison songs is a Shankar ripoff.

The Stones could be accused of being a blues ripoff band. same with elvis.

musicismylife78 · February 2012

i view the cursory view of it as being similar to seeing a band with mop tops and saying "oh thats a band influenced by the beatles or is a beatles rip off". what band isnt influenced by the beatles number 1, and number 2, what other influences do they have.

Lifted · February 2012

you turned it personal, when you called me names

what name did i call you besides 'musicismylife'?

Dave Matthews rip-off on American Idol

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