With a second season of Rock Star set to return this summer,
it seems like a good time to catch up with the performers from the
first season. Was losing to J.D. a good thing for any of them?

Marty Casey (http://www.martycasey.com/)
Marty certainly benefitted from his exposure on the show. His band
wisely (or at the insistence of their label, Epic) changed their name
to Marty
Casey & Lovehammers, and they’re currently touring to promote their
recently-released album. They’ve even been opening for INXS on the Switch tour.

At their website, all of the band members contribute to a frequently updated tour diary.

Mig Ayesa (http://www.migayesa.com/home.html)
Mig’s in London recording an EP at the moment. His website contains almost all
of the information you’d ever want on Mig — although his resume makes no
mention of his stint as Wags the Dog on the kid’s TV show, The Wiggles.

Suzie McNeil (http://www.suziemcneil.com/)
Suzie’s working with music industry legend John Kalodner, the man who
introduced us to Foreigner, XTC, Sammy Hagar, Nelson, and White Zombie.
Kalodner was also largely responsible for the Footloose and Top Gun soundtracks. (He could’ve had the 80s trifecta, if only he’d worked on The Lost Boys, too.)

Of all the Rock Star: INXS contestants, Suzie has the best
website. Her webmaster updates the site often, Suzie herself blogs
frequently, and there’s even an interview in which INXS reveals that
Andrew Farriss was pushing for Suzie to win.

Jordis Unga (http://www.jordismusic.com/)
Looks like Jordis has become labelmates with Marty. According
to her site, she’s currently recording her debut album for Epic. The
site’s homepage either has four pictures of Jordis, or her whole band is made up
of clones.

Deanna Johnston (http://www.deannajohnston.net/)
Deanna’s hippie-friendly site (virtual hacky sack not included) is
updated several times each month. It includes information on upcoming
performances.

Jessica Robinson (http://www.covergurlrocks.com/)
Jessica’s playing shows in the Chicago area with her band, Cover Gurl.
The band’s bassist is called JET, a name so cool, he’s gotta be good.

Brandon Calhoon (http://www.brandoncalhoon.com/)
Brandon’s playing shows with a band that he doesn’t bother to name on his website.

Tara Slone (http://www.taraslone.com/)
Tara’s official website is actually a bit of a paradox. It claims that it will be coming soon, and yet it’s already there!

Heather Luttrell (http://www.heatherluttrell.com/)
Heather plays shows twice a month in the Atlanta area, but things must
not be going well. There’s a page where you can donate money to take
care of her pets.

Daphna Dove (http://www.myspace.com/daphnadove)
Daphna just joined the band Shotgun Valentine a few days ago. She
threatens that the band will “kick you in the head with love,” so take
cover.

Neal Carlson (http://www.bonaroba.net/band.html)
Neal’s band Bona Roba played a Valentine’s Day show at CBGB with Marty
Casey & Lovehammers. Their site is up-to-date and easy to navigate.
The band members each look like Glenn Frey at a different point in
history, but there’s no word on whether Neal’s band covers “Smuggler’s
Blues.”

Wil Seabrook (http://www.wilseabrook.com/)
Wil doesn’t even mention that he was on Rock Star on his website. Give
credit where it’s due, buddy. You’re lucky we even remember who you are.

J.D. Fortune (http://www.jdfortune.com/)
Officially, he’s at http://www.inxs.com/, but his other website looks like a lot more fun.

At
this time, Dana Robbins and Ty Taylor don’t have official websites.
They’d better promote themselves soon, before the second wave of rock
hopefuls takes CBS’s stage and bumps them from the spotlight forever.