TVSquad

Way back in the early days of American Idol, and by early days I mean "Season Four," there was a girl who was a little bit country and a long-haired fellow who was a little bit rock and roll. I think we all know who went on to win that season, but that southern rocker was a pretty amazing presence of his own. In fact, they were so strong together in the final, they both released "Inside Your Heaven," the Idol single for that year. And they even swapped spots at number one with the track.

Now Bo's out promoting See the Light, his latest album which is more true to his southern rock roots. But that doesn't mean he's not willing to take a break from his touring schedule to spend some quality time with the kids down at American Idol Camp this summer. The program, which began last year, is for 10-15 year olds and runs in five two-week sessions throughout the summer.

There, kids can go to learn about the music industry and hone their craft as musicians, as well as experiencing all the traditional things that make summer camps fun, just with the added bonus of hanging out with and learning from Idol alumni like Bo. For more on Idol Camp check out the official American Idol Camp website. For more on my chat with Bo Bice, follow me after the jump.

Jason Hughes: What drew you to want to be involved in American Idol Camp this year?

Bo Bice: I had been working with kids for five years while I was managing a guitar store, giving guitar, piano and vocal lessons. I haven't gotten the opportunity to really do that since American Idol, for obvious reasons. So it's just my chance to be able to give something back and also do something that I love to do.

Jason Hughes: Will you be staying at the camp with the kids?

Bo Bice: I will be staying at the camp with the kids, but I'm going to be taking a bus to the camp straight from the tour. They're dropping me off and I'm going to spend three days [with the kids] and then the bus is picking me up to go on the next leg of my tour.

Jason Hughes: What specifically will you be doing at Idol Camp?

Bo Bice: I'm not really sure what they're going to have me do yet. The thing that I would like to do is teach kids about songwriting, about playing guitar and about how to utilize the tools of the trade; [there's more to it] than just singing a song. It's about how you treat people and about staying grounded. [It takes] a lot of hard work and dedication to your craft. That's what [I hope] to accomplish out of Idol Camp.

Jason Hughes: Are you satisfied with the response to See the Light?

Bo Bice: I'm very satisfied with See the Light. We haven't had a lot of press and marketing on it. I was partnered up with my former label and I'm now out, so my label SugarMoney is doing all the support for this [now]. It's the fans and people like you doing these interviews that are really putting the word out about See the Light. That's why I'm so adamant on trying to get people to talk more about it in interviews; because that's what we're really out [promoting] right now. And we want to make sure people get an opportunity to hear an album that is more consistent with what they saw of Bo Bice on American Idol. That's what See the Light is, and it wasn't so much on The Real Thing. I'm very excited with the turnout and hopefully through doing all the press we'll get people talking more about See the Light and pushing them to BoBice.com to check out the music.

Jason Hughes: Do any of the tracks from See the Light have a special meaning to you?

Bo Bice: Every track on there has a special meaning to me. Tracks like "Sinner in a Sin," "Witness" and "Whiskey, Women & Time;" I've had those in my catalog for darn near a decade so those are very special songs. But then having the opportunity to write songs with Chris Tompkins who's been a buddy of mine for ten years and Gary Nichols and some other great people like Thomas Lee and Dan Hardin was special, too. I think the most special part of the whole album was [that it was] all songs that I picked and people that I picked to write with. It was really a chance for me to be involved with a CD that was more a labor of love than anything else.

Jason Hughes: Do you plan to get back in the studio again for another album or any other project soon?

Bo Bice: I'm already working on a couple of singles that I'm going to release exclusively at BoBice.com, which will probably be released in the next month or so. Any fan will be able to download those directly at BoBice.com. Also, throughout May and June I'm working on the next album which I've been writing. I've got about 20 songs I'm trying to pick from right now that I wrote. So yeah, I'm working on not just a new project, as far as a full length album, but also I'm going to start putting out singles again. Kind of like they used to do in the '50s. You put out a couple of songs every four months or so and give people some new stuff. It's the fans that really keep us out here working and enjoying what we do, so that's what I'm trying to do: cater to the fans that make us who we are.

Jason Hughes: Any chance we'll see you performing on the Idol stage this year?

Bo Bice: I'm not sure. I would love to perform on that Idol stage but that's really up to American Idol. I don't really go and ask them a lot for stuff. They've done so much for me and my career already; I wouldn't have the career I do without them. Maybe some people should call up Idol and tell them they want to see old Bo Bice play on stage and they might let me.

Jason Hughes: Do you keep in touch with Carrie Underwood or any of the other Idol contestants?

Bo Bice: I talk to Scott Savol. He lives in Nashville. And I talk to Anthony Federov a lot. Also, I've gotten to be friends with Diana DeGarmo, she lives in Nashville, too, and Bucky Covington and people that weren't even on my season. So yeah, I've met several of the Idol folks.

Jason Hughes: Have you been following Idol at all this year?

Bo Bice: I haven't been following it that much. I got to see the first four episodes and then I've been out on tour supporting See the Light and doing Wal-Mart stuff. [The CD is] exclusive at Wal-Mart, so I've been doing a lot of Wal-Mart promotions and have a lot more Wal-Mart promotions out here to do for the CD.

Jason Hughes: How is your health? Does the prognosis going forward look good? [Note: Bo suffered from intestinal problems and underwent extensive surgery in 2006 to correct them]

Bo Bice: Yes, I'm doing very well. The Lord's blessed me a lot. I had to take a year off. That's part of why I dedicated all the time to making my own label and my own studio and recording this last project myself. Clive Davis and I kind of parted ways after [the year off]. I just needed time to dedicate to getting better. I've had a clean bill of health for over a year now and things are looking really good.

Jason Hughes: You came the closest to winning American Idol and Chris Daughtry made the "Final Four." Do you think a rocker could actually win?

Bo Bice: I don't know. I used to think of Idol was more of a pop entity, but now I think it's more anyone's game. Whoever puts the most work into it and works the hardest at honing their craft [can win].

My nine-year old son, Ashton, is a huge Bo Bice fan; he was devastated when Carrie Underwood won. As such, when he learned that I was going to be interviewing Bo Bice he wanted to ask some questions, too. After telling him that "You're awesome!" and "I love you!" weren't questions, he came up with a couple of pretty good ones.

Ashton Hughes: What were your favorite two songs that you performed on the show?

Bo Bice: My number one favorite was "In a Dream," the a capella song. That's probably my favorite of all. And then, as far as performing on the show, was "Time in a Bottle," by Jim Croce. But my favorite performance overall out of everything was definitely getting to do "Sweet Home Alabama" with Lynyrd Skynyrd. I know that's three, I can do math [laugh], but they're all three equally the same.

Ashton Hughes: What was your favorite experience on American Idol?

Bo Bice: My favorite experience on Idol was making it as far as I did and getting to gain so many cool fans. We became a tight-knit family behind the scenes, and I don't just mean the cast of American Idol. You spend so much time with these people. I made friends on that show that will truly last me a lifetime. There's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes and a lot of the people don't get credit for it. But I think that was one of the most fun parts for me, getting to see such wonderful people working so hard to help other people's dreams come true.

By the way, he's absolutely right with "In a Dream." It stands, in my mind, as one of the strongest single performances of any season before or since. So why not remember it now:


In conclusion, I'd like to dedicate this interview and all my posts this year to all those unnamed people who do work so very hard to put an amazing product on the air. You think Paula can look so brilliant all by herself? And a special thanks to Bo for taking the time to talk to us.