I’m a fan of the show. Well, let me rephrase: I am a fan of the first two weeks and the last two weeks. I like seeing who is horrible, and I like seeing who the best is. Everyone else can come or go, and I couldn't care less.

But, I buy into Idol fever in my own way.

One of my favorite Mother’s Days of all time was back in 2005.

I was driving back from picking up ice for the family dinner, and I called a radio station, on a whim, to participate in a contest and scored two free 10th-row Kelly Clarkson tickets.

Thanks, Mom.

Yet, in a stark contrast to studying the media hype and glitz that follows a television show averaging 30 million viewers a week, I also got to speak with Mickey Rosenfeld, lead singer and songwriter for Stronghold, a band that is breaking into the World Wide Web’s scene with their single, “I Know That You Love Me.”

The song was uploaded to www.indieheaven.com, a Web site that allows artists to put songs up for critique and public voting for an entire month before discontinuing the song to allow for more variety on the site.

The single hit the Top Five on the site.

“It’s not a competition, but a testing field,” Rosenfeld said. “You have some steady fans that are in your church and your family that go once a day and vote for their favorite songs and then there’s a cross pollination with artists voting for others’ songs. It’s a great melting pot where artists from all over the country share ideas and experiences on what works and what doesn’t. You get all sorts of help and ideas about how to market yourself.”

Rosenfeld formed his band because church members and friends had suggested the idea after listening to him perform at church picnics and worship services.

Now, Stronghold, the band, has released its first CD, “A Cross and a Crown” on Rosenfeld’s own record label, Salvation Rock Recording.

Now, the CD’s second single, “Be Still and Know” is climbing the charts on the site and it already is number 19.

“It’s exciting to see how that works, we’re excited,” Rosenfeld said. “We’ve got a lot of people (who know us) not because of it but in part of it. We’re getting response from churches and coffee houses asking us to come and share our ministry.”

Rosenfeld said that to get such positive reinforcement from the site and its listeners is an encouragement to the band’s work and music.
 
The band, which has undergone several changes, including the addition of drummer and singer Scott Gouchnour, is traveling the area playing locally for various events. On June 29, they will play at True Word Christian Church in Franklin for the Summer Celebration for D.O.V.E.S., a youth group event at 7 p.m. on August 18 they are playing at Providence United Methodist Church in Suffolk. They will also be at The Suffolk Peanut Festival on October 14, and Driver Days Fall Festival on October 28.

Granted, these gigs do not give the exposure that a television show on Fox can provide; however, it does show that success is not defined by how many text messages you can get on a given week or how many times Ryan Seacrest says your name.

Stronghold helps show that people still want to hear music for the music’s sake and not because we like someone’s style, look or overall package.

Wicks is a reporter for the News-Herald. Contact her at 934-9613 or lauren.wicks@suffolknewsherald.com.