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Could O-Town be the next big thing? Jacob Underwood and Ashley Parker Angel from the hit show Making the Band answered your questions about their experiences on March 30, 2000. See what they had to say below! AOLiveMC12: Welcome, Jacob Underwood and Ashley Parker Angel! Ashley Parker Angel: What's up!?! Jacob Underwood: This is Jacob. Hi! AOLiveMC12: Here is our first question. Question: Do you and the rest of the members in your group get along a lot of the time, or do you sometimes fight like brothers always do? Ashley Parker Angel: We get along really well, like brothers, but there have been a couple of scuffles. Jacob Underwood: We have fought a little bit, but the majority of the time we are like brothers and we get along. Question: Were you nervous when you were auditioning? Jacob Underwood: A little bit, but after a while it just kind of wore off. Ashley Parker Angel: I was last in line, and there were about 160 people ahead of me, I guess, and so I had about 15 minutes to check out the competition, and then I decided I was just there to do my job, which was the best that I could do. Question: I was just wondering who your musical influences are, and why? -- Trista O-Town: Michael Jackson. Jacob Underwood: I think he's achieved every honor an artist can receive, so he's kind of like an icon in that way. Ashley Parker Angel: He totally revolutionized pop, and he's just the most incredible performer I've ever seen. Question: How do you like the fact that millions of people can watch you on TV as you go through the "boy band" process? Ashley Parker Angel: I love it, because you learn so much more about the whole process than like -- people stereotype about a lot of stuff, when it comes to boy bands in particular, and with us you're going to see us break through a lot of those stereotypes and really show our talent, so that people know how much hard work it takes. Jacob Underwood: I like it because I think the public needed to see what it takes to make a band work, and not just the glamour and success of it. Question: What truly inspired you to audition for O-Town? -- From Laura in Kentucky. Jacob Underwood: I always wanted the opportunity to sing and show my talents in front of someone in the music industry that could make a difference and honestly tell me if I had what it takes or not, and this was that opportunity. Ashley Parker Angel: I had always done -- like gotten leads and done really well auditioning locally, and I was really anxious [about] doing something on a much larger scale. And I knew this was a audition with a lot of major cities, and I wanted to see how much competition there really was and if my talents were what I always hoped they were. Question: How did you hear about the competition? Ashley Parker Angel: I found out about it through an acting class that had a lot of different information on auditions, and then from there I got on the Internet and read more about it. Jacob Underwood: I heard about it from a friend who looked it up on the Internet for me and made me fill out the paper and turn in the audition tape, because I didn't want to at the time. Question: Have either of you ever been in a band before? Jacob Underwood: Yes. I've played in what was more hard rock bands in the past. Ashley Parker Angel: No. I've never been in a band, but I've played in like coffee shops with another guitarist and performed that way, but I've never been in a “band” band. Question: What kind of experience did you have in preparation for the competition? Jacob Underwood: I had classical training and sang in choirs and had a lot of private coaching with vocal coaches, and played in bands and recorded some CDs. Ashley Parker Angel: I was used to the audition process, so I more or less knew what was going to happen there because I'd auditioned that way before a lot. And I had some songs recorded on a CD, songs that I had written, that I had showed them. Question: How has this whole O-Town thing affected you with school? Ashley Parker Angel: Once I made the eight and found I was going to be moving to Florida, I had to quit the semester at college that I was taking, and just one day I wasn't in class anymore. But my teachers were all really cool with it and understood what a great opportunity it was, and they would have done the same thing. Jacob Underwood: I never went to college after high school. I spent the last two years in studios recording and writing and playing with the band. Question: How do you guys feel about being put together as a group? Ashley Parker Angel: Even though we didn't know each other before we came together as a band, once we did come together as the eight guys, it was our job to take it from there. It's a lot of sweat and tears. Jacob Underwood: There's a lot of talent that never gets discovered, and I think of myself as privileged to be brought together with other talented musicians, instead of facing the fact that maybe you would have never been discovered otherwise. Question: What is the best part of competing in this event? Ashley Parker Angel: The best part was all the guys and how, even though it was such a competition, it didn't feel like it because we all became such good friends. Jacob Underwood: I guess having the opportunity to show to the world what we have to offer. Question: Do you already know who made the final cut? O-Town: Keep watching -- it only gets better! ::wink:: Question: Jacob and Ashley, how old are you both? Ashley Parker Angel: I'm 18. Jacob Underwood: I turn 20 on April 25th. Question: Did any of you know each other before the show? O-Town: No. Question: Hey! What inspired both of you to sing and make music? -- Luv ya, Ashley. Ashley Parker Angel: Thank you. What inspired me was my mom, who taught me to play piano since the age of five and really taught me to appreciate all types of music. Jacob Underwood: I think music is the highest form of expression, and I love the idea of expressing my thoughts and feelings to such a wide audience through music. Question: Do any you all have a tattoo? Ashley Parker Angel: I don't. Jacob Underwood: Maybe. Question: Are you only going to be making yourself appealing to the younger girls, like say 13, or will you guys appeal to someone like the age of 20? Ashley Parker Angel: I really think that the show is a privilege because you get to see how much of who we are, that we're not going to just get marketed to one audience, because we all have such a wide range of backgrounds and musical influences that will appeal to everybody. Jacob Underwood: We're all being ourselves on the show. No one is directly marketing us to any certain age group. Question: How are you guys different from all the other boy bands out there? Jacob Underwood: We've had the opportunity to write our own music and also got to produce on two of the songs, and because of the show, no one tells [us] who to be or what to wear. Ashley Parker Angel: I think, going into this, none of us realized how much control that is really ours -- and what I mean by that is, we really convey what image we want to. It's not someone else behind the scenes telling us what to do or what to say. AOLiveMC12: Here is our last question for tonight. Question: What advice do you give to those of us who desperately wish for a chance out there in the music world? -- Cassandra, Kentucky. Ashley Parker Angel: Just don't ever sell yourself short, because at any given time, things can change if you're willing to take the risks and steps to get there. Jacob Underwood: Always strive to be original and never -- or try to always steer away from the trend that was set before you got there. AOLiveMC12: Any last words for our great audience? O-Town: We appreciate the love, and we hope you keep watching on Friday nights on ABC. AOLiveMC12: Thanks to the audience for their great questions, and good luck to Jacob and Ashley! Good night and aloha! |