VH1 To Make D-List Band Vastly More Famous Than It Should Be

In a just universe, the Hollywood rock band Whitestarr would be a footnote in rock history. An artist of the day on Spin.com over a year ago, Whitestarr’s first album Luv Machine went nowhere fast, and the band was relegated to regular gigs alternating between sides of Sunset Boulevard. So why would VH1 air a reality series following a band with so little going for it? Oh, right. Lead singer Cisco Adler “dated” Mischa Barton … and Paris Hilton.

Whitestarr is Cisco Adler (vocals), Rainbow Jeramy (guitar), Alex Orbison (drums), Damon Webb (bass) and Tony Potato (dancer). Led by singer/songwriter Cisco Adler, son of music mogul Lou Adler, Whitestarr has become a staple in the L.A. music scene but they’ve been virtually ignored by the industry they hope to conquer. They’ve been in rehab, in the tabloids and in relationships with some of Hollywood’s hottest starlets, including Mischa Barton. The only place they haven’t been is the Billboard charts. But with Roy Orbison’s son on drums, So-Cal rocker Damon Webb on bass and a fleshy, undersexed former lawyer named Tony Potato as backup dancer, Whitestarr is a rock and roll circus that’s as much fun off-stage as they are on. Throw in an afro’d guitarist from Allentown, PA, named Rainbow, with major girlfriend drama and you’ve all the ingredients for the ultimate rock and roll cocktail….

Viewers will get an insider’s look at the backstage drama as these four rockers (and one dancer) fight to keep the band together and stop at nothing to realize their rock dream — even if it means losing sleep, losing a girlfriend or losing a day job. It’s going to be an uphill battle, and the band knows it’s going to take more than a famous name to get there.

The highlight of this press release is the fact that Barton is merely mentioned as an aside, when in reality, Adler’s attempt to schtup his way through Hollywood’s pantheon of starlets is the only thing that makes Whitestarr notable. And even then, the band is relegated to parenthetical status in US Weekly.

It’s a fact that is disappointing to at least one or two Idolator contributors, but Rocklahoma aside, the day when Sunset Strip-styled sleaze rock had a mass audience is long gone, with little prospect for its return. (Buckcherry stopped by for awhile, but their buzz was short-lived.) We can all pretend that the hours of reality programming the band will be featured in will at least in spirit be similar to Bands On The Run, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that the VH1 bigwigs are hoping for one thing: Cisco’s eventual reignition of his love connection with Paris Hilton.

The kicker is the label that’s taking a flyer on Whitestarr’s second album: Hot new imprint VH1 Classic Records. Is it too soon to feel nostalgia for the days of I Love the ’70s?

Malibu Band Whitestarr Enjoys ‘The Rock Life’ on Their Way to the Top of the Charts [PR Newswire]