Two years ago, the rock band INXS opted to find a new vocalist by using a similar fan-based television contest system to ‘Idol,’ calling the show “Rock Star: INXS.”

  
Last summer, season two of the show aired, offering another chance for would-be rock stars to show their stuff in an opportunity to front a rock band, this time called “Rock Star: Supernova.”
In other words, everything about the show goes against everything rock and roll stands for.

That didn’t stop former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke from getting together to pick a singer for the fabricated “supergroup.”

What they discovered was Canadian Lukas Rossi and his confident and entertaining style.

“I guess I was born to do it,” Rossi said in a recent phone interview with the Tribune from his home in Recita, Calif. “I’m just going with the flow.”

Currently hopping from state to state in a national tour with the Panic Channel, the Jane’s Addiction side project, Rock Star: Supernova hopes to find out if the experiment worked and fans respond. The tour stops in Loveland, Colo., Tuesday, Feb. 13.

“We haven’t even released our first video and we’re doing pretty well,” Rossi said. “The music industry’s changed a lot. The only thing any band, including ourselves, can do is play your music and enjoy it. Have fun with it man ’cause if it doesn’t catch on and people don’t get it, that’s in the cards. That’s the way God wants it to be, dude.”

Rossi competed against 14 other vocalists in hopes of landing the front man gig. Each show, contestants performed in front of a live concert audience with a house band and faced voters who ultimately decided the fate of each person.

Being on the show and going through the rigors of auditioning over and over in front of a national audience gave Rossi an unfurled confidence to eventually front the band for real.

“No one follows me into the washroom anymore,” Rossi said with a laugh. “On the show, everyone’s following you with the cameras. Now that those cameras are gone, I’m all good. You can throw a grenade at me, I don’t care.”

Rock Star: Supernova released its self-titled debut album on Epic Records in November after going through an unorthodox method of songwriting. About half of the record was already written before the show was over and Rossi had entered the picture.

“Everyone thinks that the whole record was done (before I joined). I was really relieved to find out when they chose me, that there was a lot of writing left to do,” Rossi explained. “I basically wrote half a major label record, so it was really exciting and challenging.”

Rossi was working at a Hooters as a cook before he decided to take the plunge and try competing on the show.

“I was flipping burgers, man. Flipping chicken wings,” Rossi said. “Actually, I got fired from Hooters because I wouldn’t stop wearing makeup. You can’t wear eyeliner here man. Take out your earrings and your tattoos. How does a tattoo hinder how long I can cook a chicken wing?”

A friend kept trying to get Rossi to enter the show, something he wanted nothing to do with at first when he heard a rumor that it was for a singing gig with Van Halen.

“I was … there’s no way I’d wanna front a band of that nature. They’re a great band, they’re just not my cup of tea (so) I turned down the first audition.”

Once Rossi found out the band involved Newsted, Lee and Clarke he jumped at the chance.

“If I didn’t take the opportunity, I’d be an idiot,” he said. “So many other people would appreciate that opportunity and I did it and now I’m here talking to you man.”

Almost as quickly as the band formed and pumped out an album, bad news arrived when Newsted injured himself and had to pull out of the project. Newsted’s left shoulder was mangled and his right bicep torn when he tried to catch a bass head that had fallen from his amp.

“(I felt) the same as everyone else. Just kind of worried about him,” Rossi said of his initial reaction when he heard about the accident. “It was a blow. A sucker punch to us all. You gotta take it all in stride.”

The band immediately enlisted the services of Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt.

“It was really unfortunate what happened to (Jason), but as soon as Johnny came in, it was weird man. He’s an amazing person, an amazing musician. He just fit right in. We knew right away that he was the cat for us,” Rossi said.

Last year wasn’t all roses for Rossi as his mother suffered a stroke and now can’t speak; this after his father lost his eyesight while Rossi was competing on the show.

“I’ve had a lot of huge, huge struggles,” Rossi said. “That’s the only thing stressful. I’m just trying to keep grounded and strong. When you go on tour, you leave your family and loved ones behind. That separation only makes you stronger.”

Because of how it was put together on national television, the band, which sounds similar to Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace, has gotten a lot of negative reactions. After all, it’s not very metal.

“There’s a lot of haters out there brother, let’s be honest, because of the way we went about it all,” Rossi said. “You don’t mix TV and rock and roll. I agree with that. That was something I was always leery of before I auditioned because I didn’t want the TV show to dilute the music, but you know, it hasn’t whatsoever, man.”

The future of the band is up in the air, but none of the four members is looking at it as a shor- term project.

“The record we just did, we truly believe in and we love it and we’re already starting stuff for the next record,” Rossi said. “We definitely see it as being something bigger than everyone is actually seeing right now. That’s fine, I think it’ll catch on, I definitely do.”

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