I never know how to properly convey how excited I get when I find a great artist. I generally refer to the fact that even though I’ve been a musician for nearly four decades, I’m first and foremost a music FAN. But it’s more than that.
Discovering a new talent is the ultimate joy for me. I watch the same video over and over—loving it more with every view. Time no longer matters. I dig into the library and check out as many clips as I can. I postpone eating and sleep to just watch one more video.
In searching for this week’s pick at the 11th hour, I went to the CBC Group first. I’ve noticed a lot of performance videos being posted lately, and I hadn’t watched any, so it was scrolling time.
Fortunately it didn’t take long for me to discover something good. It was a pretty short promo video…and although I usually loathe promo videos, this one was good enough for me to dig deeper.
What I found was a singer with a polished, professional show and a ton of YouTube videos, but nowhere near the views they deserve. THIS is why I do this.
There are tribute bands, and then there are show bands. Tribute bands will play the artist’s popular songs, look the part and have a clever name. Show bands, however, go all out. With full orchestration, costume changes, and seasoned pro musicians, they are as close to the real deal as you can get. For this week’s Video of the Week, we present to you The Elton Show (Elton John Tribute) led by C.J. Marvin.
There’s not a lot of info about the artist online. They are in the same boat as the rest of the world with live shows cancelled, but the website remains active. There are a ton of videos, though, all of which are of high quality. The band, complete with three female background singers, percussion, guitar, bass, keys and drums…is outstanding.
But most people don’t care about the band in this case. It’s about the singer. The star. The reason for the show. It’s not Elton, but how close is this guy to the real thing?
After watching a bunch of the videos, I’m gonna say it’s as close as you can get. Right off the bat you can tell that Marvin commits. He’s got the getup, he can clearly play the piano well, and his vocals are this close to not being able to tell the difference.
It was challenging to pick a favorite. Marvin delivers each performance with authenticity and skill. But ultimately I went with this one because of the energy and how well it showcases the band.
As of this writing, this video only has 276 views, and it was released 4-1/2 years ago. This is unacceptable. Watch it below, dig into the rest of the catalogue, and share the sh*t out of this article.
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Do you have a clip worthy of Video of the Week? Send an email to steve@coverbandcentral.com with a link to the clip (must be a YouTube video) and a brief summary as to why you should be chosen, and you could be our next selection!
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