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LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
From American Idol to Broadway, with Constantine Maroulis and Drumming Sensation Ronnie Negro
Get ready for a throwback to the golden era of reality TV singing competitions! We're thrilled to bring you an engaging conversation with none other than Constantine Maroulis from Season 4 of American Idol. Not just a former Idol heartthrob, Maroulis has transitioned from the TV screen to the theatrical stage, and he's here to share his journey. You'll hear his candid insights on everything from his memorable Idol performances to his role in originating the smash-hit Broadway show, Rock of Ages.
Joining us also is Ronnie Negro, a superb drummer and a dear friend of Maroulis. They're not just old pals; they're currently touring together with the Eagle Mania Eagles tribute show! Tune in for their reminiscing about the early days of Rock of Ages, the close-knit bond they formed, and the exciting new venture they are embarking on. Plus, Maroulis divulges how he used his acting chops to enhance his performances and the impact of American Idol on the digital music scene. Get ready to go behind the scenes of Eagle Mania, a vibrant tribute to one of the greatest classic rock catalogs of all time.
Welcome to Eden and Amadeus. The show. After the show I am crazy excited because we have a really cool guest. Well, two guests today.
Speaker 2:So what I would say about this particular podcast is it's always a good idea to listen through even if a guest's name doesn't spark something instantly, because some of the most interesting conversations we've had have been the most unexpected. Not like we didn't think we were going to enjoy talking with Constantine Maroulis, who you might remember from season four of American Idol, but I could have gotten either way, because it's not like he's still the name everyone talks about when they think of American Idol. But he was on the season where Carrie Underwood won. He came in six.
Speaker 2:I very distinctly remember him because he was super cute, he had long flowy hair and then he came out one night and he did I think I Love you by the Partridge family which blew me away. He was working the camera and then he also did Bohemian Rhapsody, which was huge.
Speaker 1:I remember you coming to work, like today after like raving on that performance and you know I'm a huge Idol fan, so I was watching too. And yeah, he was really, really known for his staring into the camera and just like bedroom eyes making that connection.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he was considered to be like one of the hot guys that season and I loved him and then it. Well, you'll hear a lot of that coming up in our talk with him. But we're also going to be talking to somebody who he's touring with right now as part of the Eagle Mania Eagles tribute show, and that's drummer Ronnie Negro, who wasn't just the drummer with him for this, but they worked together on Rock of Ages, which Constantine originated the role. So you guys are buddies, huh. Like you, this is not your first time hanging out together.
Speaker 4:Not our first rodeo. We go way back to the early days of rock of ages, before it became a global sensation. Ron was one of our great drummers that we used to stick in a cage on stage and not feed him till after the show.
Speaker 1:Constantine, let's go all the way back to the beginning for you. I am a massive, massive American Idol fan, and Eden fell in love with you as well on that show.
Speaker 2:I fell in love with you during. I Think I Love you because I am old enough to be like a Partridge family fan. Sure, only the reruns, of course, of course, of course. But yeah, so we go way back. But like, when you were doing that, did you know that, like, broadway was going to be a stop for you next, you know, I grew up as an actor.
Speaker 4:I grew up as an actor. I loved musical theater. I love, you know, musical cinema and such. I went to the Boston Conservatory, studied acting, berkeley College of Music. Long before Idol I was on rent, the rent tour. I played Roger all over the world. So you know I already I was an actor and Broadway was a part of my DNA for sure. I think you know back in those days of American Idol and the heyday when 30 million people were watching and you know we didn't really use the internet the way we do now. You know you pick up bits and pieces from fans online and I just sort of was into playing the whole cheeky thing up a bit. You know I had read about I don't know, a lot of moms digging me and such and you know them calling me, you know, a matinee idol and they recalled, you know, their Donnie Osmond sort of youth and so that was me, that was me, that was me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and like the Partridge family such. So I kind of played it up with a song like that. I think that was for like number one records week or something and that was a number one hit.
Speaker 3:No doubt the.
Speaker 4:Partridge family, so it seemed to go over pretty good. So I always enjoyed playing up, you know, playing into like the fan base and such on the show. And yeah, I'm a rocker but I'm also a performer and an actor and you know it was fun to play with the narrative for sure.
Speaker 1:No one made love to the camera quite like you did.
Speaker 2:You definitely.
Speaker 4:Well you know I have to attribute that to the late great Bruce Gowers, who directed the original Bohemian Rhapsody video for Queen way back in the day. That you know, iconic video pre-MTV where all the faces appear and such right, and he was directing episodes of Bohemian, excuse me, of American Idol. At the time he said, mate, you have to look right into that camera and talk to those girls at home. And so, hey, that's what I did.
Speaker 2:That was me. That was me.
Speaker 1:I just got chills.
Speaker 4:You know, instead of thinking of 30 million people, just think of the one girl or guy or whoever is home watching. You know, talk to them.
Speaker 1:I just got chills hearing that story, just thinking about like I never thought of a director telling the you know, the contestants how to perform. That's an amazing direction.
Speaker 2:And clearly some would pick it up easier than others. Some would have the experience.
Speaker 4:It's like a note, it's not telling you how, it's, just it's like take that into consideration. You know, as you're going through your performance and you know there's a beginning, middle and end. You know, find that moment to find that camera and just boom. And that's when they kind of had come out with the steady cams. Now you see them everywhere, people can buy them in camera stores, you know, and they have them even for iPhones.
Speaker 4:But you know, this jacked camera person would come out and he would wear this steady cam, almost like a ballet dancer, and follow you around the stage and it had this, you know, perfect swivel on it and that was, that was new technology at the time. So you know that like shot where they fought, you know they circle around you and such. That's actually a camera person, of course, like walking around you with this, with this device. So that was pretty cool. It was like the start of something you know, I mean the, the, the digital age, the. You know, I think when I did Bohemian Rhapsody on the show was the first time they saw a massive like digital spike for for Queen's catalog, Like. It was like oh, now we get what's happening here. Even if they're terrible, it's good.
Speaker 3:And you were not terrible.
Speaker 4:Maybe I wasn't terrible, but you know what I'm saying. It was just yeah, it was just something we've never seen before and probably never will again. I mean must-see TV people tuning in. It was a great innocent time, for sure.
Speaker 2:And then shortly after that I don't know how shortly because it's all a blur to me I remember watching TV and seeing you, whether it was the Today Show or the Macy's Parade or wherever. We're Rock of Ages, because you originated that role. We got to see you performing in Times Square, and so even people who didn't get to Broadway to see it. Eventually I was able to see it, but not with you. And then I just again saw it pretty recently at a dinner theater, and they found a local here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we licensed that thing out all over the world. It's done in like Jewish community centers. I mean, it's done everywhere. Now it's crazy.
Speaker 2:And it's always so much fun though.
Speaker 1:And that's where you first met Ronnie right, that is where I first met.
Speaker 4:Ron.
Speaker 2:And he's been my dear friend ever since.
Speaker 4:And yeah, I mean, obviously, you know you come off a big show like Idol. There's tons of opportunities to make records and films and I was developing a TV series and such. That is when I met the original creative team of Rock of Ages and yeah, we collaborated and I think my part in the show really you know it sort of spoke to what I was on American Idol. I was kind of an underdog. I kind of got, you know, dramatically voted off the show, you know, and and and then I played this underdog wannabe rocker in the show Rock of Ages and I think you know we created, you know, one of the greatest shows ever. I agree, like you said, it's done all over the world.
Speaker 4:I got to meet Ron, who now I've been working with on and off for 15 years. We have this brand new, you know, concert experience that we're working on together called Eagle Mania, of course, celebrating just one of the greatest classic rock, you know catalogs of all time and it's been wonderful. You know the guys are great, they've welcomed me these last few weeks and we have a bunch of shows coming up and of course we're going to be, you know, coming to you real, real soon.
Speaker 2:Very soon, and and Ron's on the line. So what? What's that like, though? Working on a show that is a tribute to an iconic band, Because that's that's a lot of pressure.
Speaker 3:So I can speak.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're allowed, I'll open the cage.
Speaker 3:I mean, I grew up, you know, listening to that music. You know my generation was the first generation that it was actually cool to like your parents' music. So you know the.
Speaker 3:Eagles were always on and you know, I just was drawn to good music and there's no doubt that the Eagles are more than good music, great music, great songwriters. And being part of this band is, you know, I get to kind of almost pretend I'm in the Eagles because that's how authentic it sounds. It sounds the way you expect it to sound, with all the harmonies perfectly worked out, all the intricate guitar parts, everything, all the sensitive things that make the music what it is. And now Constantine just puts that over the top with his vocal abilities and his delivery on stage of it. And I got, you know, even though Rocket Beige was one experience to perform with him and I've done some one-off things with his solo stuff but to see him now take these iconic songs and put them behind the band that did the work already he's taking it to another level.
Speaker 1:Ron, I was.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you.
Speaker 1:Ron, I got to go to the Hell Freezes Over Tour and I didn't know exactly what to expect. But they opened with New Kid in town and I was instantly taken back to when I first moved to Florida as like an elementary school kid and I was sitting in the stands crying while they were playing that song. Those songs just bring back great emotions for people.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, when I saw the Hell Freezes Over Tour as well, my mom's sister was like, oh, do you think they'll open with Hotel California? And I was like no, they're going to close with that. And they opened with Hotel California. Like what, yeah? And so, like you know, mr Musician, mr Condescending to my aunt, being disrespectful, I was immediately put in my place. But I do remember going.
Speaker 3:I saw it at Giant Stadium in New Jersey, you know, probably 60,000 people and made more. And one thing I remember listening to them play these songs. They just sounded amazing, like you heard every pick hitting the strings on the guitar. So they clearly not only wrote these great songs, but they, they, they put such great care in performing them. It was the most crystal clear concert I think I've ever seen. And that's not easy to do in like a big arena like that. And we try to do the same thing. We're very, very, very meticulous about our sound. You know you get to Constantine can attest. You know vocal, vocal, harmony, warm-ups, you know, about about an hour before the show starts and even though these songs have been performed many, many times, we're always refining, always refining that's tremendous, you know, elsa, as long as we have a drummer on with us.
Speaker 2:I want to ask you this question because I'm obsessed lately with watching tick-tock videos and Instagram reels of these drummers that are they're going viral for things like some of them will drum the cadence along with a stand-up comedian and some of them will just have them drumming along with you know a hit song, and they're young girls which you didn't used to see a lot of. It's just amazing what. So you know there's a lot of anti reasons about social media, but some of the great things are that you get to really see the talent that's out there. Do you ever watch any of those?
Speaker 3:I do and you know it could be like sometimes these kids are just so vaunts and you're like, oh my god, like you know, I played my whole life. This kid, you know, has been playing. How long can he possibly or she can you know been playing, for they're so young and they're so refined. And I do think it's really a good thing, because you know a lot of popular music doesn't have actual drumming anymore.
Speaker 3:It's, it's out there that music, but it's not as popular a lot. You know, pop music is very electronic based drums but now you got, you know, a low for a time. Like you know, garage Band had re, not Garage Band, rock Band, the video game had re reignited. Like you know, people maybe wanting to, you know, get into this kind of music but then they they kind of like playing their the video game more than they actually wanted to put the effort in on the instrument.
Speaker 3:But now with with TikTok and YouTube and these, these things going viral and oh, you know, I mean as a drummer, you know many people tag me on this, like check this out. I'm like, yeah, I've seen it 48 times, you know, because you know everyone knows like this is, you know this kid is ridiculous and yeah, now it. Now it makes you know another generation of kids want to pick up instruments and play it and I'm a drum teacher so of course I love it and I'm a, I'm a crusader, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna try and keep rock and roll and and drumming alive and if that's gonna help me do that, well, that's awesome and kind of in a way.
Speaker 4:In a way, socials has even replaced American Idol and these platform shows, although American Idol still continues to really produce great talent. It's not the same as the old days, but social media has now become a platform for kids to not just express themselves but really to develop a following, to curate, you know, their work and build a body of work and hopefully network and and meet other great musicians. They collaborate on even original material this way. So it's evolving. It's interesting when, when it translates really well like some people might have a massive following or get you know millions of views and clicks, but 14 people show up to their clubs, to their club date, you know, so something that works out like I do think it's cyclical, like people are playing guitars again and drums and and forming bands again.
Speaker 4:Now we got really used to, you know, self-producing and the DJ music sort of seen for a while, but bands are back and I think, coming out of the pandemic where a lot of like Gen Xers like me were discovering, rediscovering their baseball cards and and stuff like that, a lot of people picked up instruments and I think why the tribute experience is really on fire right now is because you know, every huge band wanted to tour at once, coming out of the shutdowns and now and now, you know you can't afford to see them all, and these great musicians formed experiences like this, like Eagle Mania, and you're able to see us for, you know, an affordable night.
Speaker 4:You can bring your friends, have dinner, drinks and and, honestly, the experience is on par with all the Stadium acts and I have to say I'm blown away by the guys. We have the same agent and it's been a great collaboration. So we just can't wait to get to to Florida. I haven't been down there Much in the last six months, so I'm excited to get to Jacksonville and rock out for everybody.
Speaker 1:Well, you're going to be here on Tuesday, october 17th, part of the FSCJ Artist Series production, and we are super, super excited to see you guys.
Speaker 4:Thank you, thank you, and we're excited to see you. It's a beautiful venue and the shows have been fired. They've been absolutely packed, so make sure you get your your tickets today, and we can't wait to see. We always meet and greet the fans and the supporters and people that have come to the show. After, in the lobby, we're hanging out taking selfies, you know, and we're having a really good time, for sure.
Speaker 2:We appreciate you both taking so much time with us. We know we get greedy with the time when people are this intriguing and fun to talk to you, so we loved it and but you know we'd keep you all day if we could. We're going to let you go now, but safe travels and we will see you soon.
Speaker 4:Definitely check out eagle mania bandcom. All the social media is there. You can go to Constantine maruliscom. My new singles are up there on the website and they're streaming everywhere and there are plenty of dates coming up and, who knows, maybe we'll collaborate again down the down the road as well.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, we'll talk with you the next time you're coming through. No matter the project, you're always welcome here, thank you guys, thank you, thanks guys, bye guys.
Speaker 4:All right, ron, thank you, bye now.
Speaker 2:Wow, I know those guys are very, very cool and fun to talk to, you know what's really cool about this podcast?
Speaker 1:for me and I think this is the third or fourth American Idol alum that we've talked to- yeah. I'm just such a huge fan who went all the way back to the beginning, which has now been what? 24 years 23 years. And I just love that these people have made such an impact culturally, musically, I don't know, I just I just love it.
Speaker 2:It's. It's really amazing to talk to somebody who also can Respect the innovations that were a part of that right. Like you know, I worked at channel four for several years, so I know all about that study camp and they. They were just getting used to it Ten years ago.
Speaker 1:We recently had a hunter girl on and we learned a lot from her about what's going on now on American Idol. So just getting those behind the scenes for a super fan is a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:It is. Thank you, everyone for joining us. If you enjoyed this, leave us a review, leave us all the thumbs ups that you possibly can, all the stars, and tell a friend and we'll talk to you again soon.