The good news for the Muggs is that Detroit loves 'em. Motor City rock fans regard the group as one of the tightest, most talented and entertaining bar bands on the local circuit.

As for the bad news, see above.

"In Detroit, we're big fish in a small pond," says keyboard bassist Tony DeNardo, who is joined by Danny Methric on guitar and vocals and Matt Rost on drums. "And that's great. We love it. But nationally, we're little fish in a big pond."

A power trio that serves up a blistering brand of blues-rock, the guys in the Muggs have certainly earned their props around town, and the band's live shows reliably draw near-capacity crowds. Last summer, the group opened for the one-and-only reunion show of its members' musical heroes, the legendarily obscure '70s supergroup Cactus. At April's 2008 Detroit Music Awards, the band was named outstanding rock artist-group, while Danny Methric's shredding guitar wizardry earned him the title of outstanding rock-pop instrumentalist.

The Muggs brushed up against genuine rock star celebrity status last October when they were one of 12 bands selected from thousands of applicants to compete on Fox's "American Idol" copycat show, "The Next Great American Band."

Despite the 15 minutes of TV fame, the guys haven't been able to make the jump from local to national recognition. That's hardly a unique story. The road to rock 'n' roll glory is littered with bands that packed their hometown bars but couldn't sell an album beyond the state line.

The Muggs' back story, however, contains some unusual plot turns.

In 2001, when the band was hitting its stride and drawing the attention of fans and critics, DeNardo suffered a stroke that left his right side paralyzed. Despite pressure from a lot of quarters to replace their stricken bass player, Methric and Rost put the band on hold for two years, waiting for DeNardo while he underwent a grueling regimen of physical rehabilitation.

DeNardo, who has regained only partial use of his right hand so far, abandoned the bass guitar and taught himself to play bass on the keyboards.

"It meant a lot to me that they saved my spot," DeNardo says. "It gave me a reason to work hard and come back."

On Friday, the Muggs will unveil their second record, "On with the Show," at a CD-release party at the Magic Bag in Ferndale.

"We want to take it to the next level, definitely," Methric says. "But honestly, we're not sure how to do it. We're not sure what to do next."

"Right now," says Methric, "we're sitting tight and keeping our options open in the hope that the record gets us a management deal."

As for the appearance on "The Next Great American Band," DeNardo says the Muggs had the "lowest of expectations" for the TV show. "We figured we'd get kicked off early, but some record label out there would see this serious blues-rock band and would sign us."

They were half right.

The three judges --John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, former Prince collaborator Sheila E. and the snarky, Simon Cowell-like Ian (Dicko) Dickson -- hooted, hollered and raved in an early round when the Muggs scorched the stage with "Slow Curve," an original from their new CD.

"It's guys like you that stop the music beast turning into the fast food industry," said Dickson. "The other bands better watch out," gushed Sheila E.

But in a later round, after the Muggs performed a mandatory cover of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" -- a tune by any measure ill-suited to their sonic skill set -- the judges ripped Methric's vocal abilities.

"It's time for this three-piece to become a four-piece and add a singer," said Dickson.

To which the Muggs responded with a figurative flipping of the bird. Methric booed the judges on air while they dissed his voice, and DeNardo and drummer Matt Rost shook their heads in disagreement. They were voted off the show.

In the aftermath, no record label has come knocking, and no management contract has been offered. In fact, aside from an ongoing debate in Detroit rock bars and music blogs as to whether the band should add a new singer to the lineup, not much at all has changed for the Muggs following their exposure to tens of millions of TV viewers.

But whatever lies ahead, the band says it's not changing its lineup.

"Danny's voice is just fine for rock music," says DeNardo. "It's not fine for pop or 'American Idol,' but that's not what the Muggs are about."

Incredibly, in the last two days of taping for the TV show, Rost became severely ill with what doctors later diagnosed as noncontagious tuberculosis. Upon returning to Detroit, he was immediately hospitalized for eight days.

While Rost lay in the hospital, an acquaintance urged DeNardo to replace Rost and book as many shows as possible to capitalize on the momentum of the TV appearance.

DeNardo responded with the rock 'n' roll vernacular for "buzz off."

"He didn't know one thing that the Muggs stand for," says DeNardo. "The national TV gig may end up being the highlight of our careers, but we're not going to whore ourselves out for somebody else's idea of success.

"This may sound cheesy, but it's a brotherhood. It's about the music. No Mugg is replaceable. It's about me, Danny and Matt forming a bond, and how the three of us say something musically that can't be said otherwise."