Motor City reality (TV) rockers

Josh Gracin: "American Idol"

Everyone loves to watch the early rounds of “American Idol” when all of those really untalented (bad) singers audition and get laughed at by judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and the rest of the country. But what’s up with people watching (and voting) after that pure comedy? Last May’s finals may have seen some numbers drop, but with about 20 million viewers tuning in to see the battle of the Davids, “AI” is still a top pop culture juggernaut.

Local country star Josh Gracin finished fourth on the second season of the show and has continued to wow fans with his successful self-titled debut that spawned four hit singles and landed him on Billboard’s top five. And this past April he released “We Weren’t Crazy.” Gracin talked to Metromix before his summertime blast at the Hoedown, and enlightened us that “Idol” was a positive experience. “I got to reach a lot of people, and I gained a lot of tools,” Gracin said. “There was a lot of pressure with all the rehearsals. After each show you go straight into thinking about the next song and the next week, so it was very high-paced and that helped me prepare for my career.”