Stick Figure –- and Cocoa The Tour Dog, of course – were featured on the season finale of AXS TV’s Breaking Band where they were mentored on the show by Mark McGrath, formerly of Sugar Ray.
The series, hosted by actor and singer Donovan Leitch, features up-and-coming bands and artists as they are mentored by a music industry veteran over the course of a single episode. The mentors – who include Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath, Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s, and Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro -– share advice based on knowledge they’ve gained from their decades in the industry. The coaching culminates with the mentors supporting their protégés in their debut performances on TV, and sometimes joining them onstage.
In this episode, Stick Figure was mentored by Mark McGrath as they prepared to perform at Los Angeles’ famed El Rey Theatre. Shot last year, this episode was in fact the first episode of Breaking Band that was filmed but the last to air.
“Mark was the guinea pig, and I thought he was great.” Said Leitch in an interview with pilotonline.com. “He probably has the most television experience out of our six mentors, and that’s what we’re kind of looking for: rock stars that have had a good experience in front of the camera. Because that’s kind of what they’re doing. They’re sort of teaching these YouTubers how to perform and act and feel comfortable for broadcast performances.”
Unfortunately the show isn’t easily accessible via broadcast or online so we aren’t able to describe the band’s encounter with McGrath in full detail, but Stick Figure’s full performance at the El Rey is available to watch below.
The band went on to perform hits such as “Weight of Sound” and “Hawaii Song” before closing the night with a cover of The Clash’s “Police and Thieves” alongside McGrath. There were some notable problems with the audio as McGrath took the mic, but he completed his verse without showing any signs of trouble -– the mark of an experienced performer.
Since their time on the show, Stick Figure has toured relentlessly and released their latest album Set In Stone. Although its unclear if the band has maintained a relationship with McGrath after their appearance on the show, their TV debut has without a doubt provided a beneficial introduction to a wider and more diverse audience of music lovers.
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Article By: Andrew Aroche