Biography
The second season of the CBS reality series Rock Star took a different approach from its predecessor, which had sought a lead singer for the existing band INXS. Instead, Rock Star: Supernova set out to discover a vocalist capable of fronting a newly formed supergroup consisting of drummer Tommy Lee, bassist Jason Newsted, and guitarist Gilby Clarke. Beginning in July 2006, the three musicians evaluated sixteen contestants, several of whom already had independent releases to their credit, among them Icelandic rocker Magni, alt-rocker Patrice Pike, petite belter Jill Gioia, brooding Ryan Starr, and iconoclastic Zayra Ruleta. By September the trio had settled on Canadian singer Lukas Rossi as their choice. Before appearing on the program, Rossi had performed with Cleavage and Rise Electric, collaborated with producer and Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson as well as Jay and John Levine of the Philosopher Kings, and supplied vocals for a national McDonald's advertising campaign plus the theme songs of the animated series Beyblade and Rescue Heroes.
Shortly before the Rock Star: Supernova finale, litigation over the supergroup's name reached a critical point. The Californian punk-pop band Supernova, which had formed in 1989 and placed its song "Chewbacca" on the Clerks soundtrack, brought a federal trademark-infringement suit in June against Mark Burnett Productions, the network, Rockstar Entertainment, and Clarke, Newsted, and Lee, the last three of whom were later dropped as defendants. The court ruled in favor of the original Supernova, forcing the new ensemble to adopt another name. The musicians nevertheless moved forward, recording their debut album with songwriter and producer Butch Walker. The singles "Be Yourself and 5 Other Common Clichés" and "It's All Love" received radio airplay, and an early-2007 tour alongside the Panic Channel, the band fronted by Rock Star host Dave Navarro, was also planned.
Shortly before the Rock Star: Supernova finale, litigation over the supergroup's name reached a critical point. The Californian punk-pop band Supernova, which had formed in 1989 and placed its song "Chewbacca" on the Clerks soundtrack, brought a federal trademark-infringement suit in June against Mark Burnett Productions, the network, Rockstar Entertainment, and Clarke, Newsted, and Lee, the last three of whom were later dropped as defendants. The court ruled in favor of the original Supernova, forcing the new ensemble to adopt another name. The musicians nevertheless moved forward, recording their debut album with songwriter and producer Butch Walker. The singles "Be Yourself and 5 Other Common Clichés" and "It's All Love" received radio airplay, and an early-2007 tour alongside the Panic Channel, the band fronted by Rock Star host Dave Navarro, was also planned.
Albums
