When it comes to musicians, everyone seems to love the lead singer; but there’s more to a band than the guy who gets to strut around in the spotlight.

Apparently, “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller feels the same way.

With the help of the Fox network, Fuller unveiled his newest reality show Friday night: “The Next Great American Band.”

While “Idol” focuses on only finding a vocal diamond in the rough, this show is looking for killer chops in the rhythm section and guitar-shredding capabilities as well.

“The Next Great American Band” isn’t that much different from its predecessor, though; the winning group will score a record deal with 19 Records.

Now, I must admit, I’m not the biggest fan of “American Idol” – or reality TV for that matter – but I’m intrigued by what this new show has to offer.

My main problem with “Idol” is its lack of creativity. No singer has any particular style, they switch genres each week, they only sing covers and there’s just nothing too original about any of the contestants.

In the end, the winner is just dough for producers to shape and mold into the current musical flavor of the week.

“The Next Great American Band,” however, has the potential to be quite the opposite.

These bands are coming onto the show with their style, their music and their overall natural talent to play music. It’s not just about singing what people want to hear; there’s an actual creative force behind what they are presenting.

There are no age limits and bands from all musical genres are able to try out.

Plus, Ryan Seacrest isn’t hosting. What more could you want?

But, as with everything that sounds too good to be true, there’s always a catch. In this case, it’s the judges.

Just like “Idol,” the judges are the ones who get to pick who moves on to the next round. If the judges aren’t top quality, there’s a very good chance some of the bands moving on will not be of the highest quality either.

Rounding out the scorer’s table for “American Band” are veteran music man Ian “Dicko” Dickson, Sheila E., and the Goo Goo Dolls’ own Johnny Rzeznik.

While Dickson has helped the careers of Pearl Jam and Ozzy Osbourne, and Sheila E. used to run around with Prince, what business does a hack like Rzeznik have on this panel? Apparently, he is the Paula Abdul of the group.

Furthermore, just like “Idol,” the judges seem to be preoccupied with which group is going to sell records versus which group actually has talent.

Take the band Dot Dot Dot. Right off the bat, the judges liked the fact that they were “one of the only bands that look(ed) like a band.”

Yeah, they looked like a band, alright. The ultra poser kind, complete with horrible emo haircuts, eye make-up, and tight suits; a kind of AFI meets the Killers look.

Not only did they have “the look,” but they “rocked” their way through a cover of Burt Bacharach’s “Always Something There to Remind Me.”

It was clearly a case of people acting and dressing the way they thought rock stars should. At least that’s what I thought, because the judges loved them and sent them off to the next round.

Despite set-backs like this one, there were some highlights.

Zombie Bazooka Patrol was a rather entertaining bunch of 20-year-olds, all performing in full zombie make-up. They played a pop, almost country-tinged, song with an added pinch of punk-like backing vocals; it was an interesting mix to say the least.

The self-proclaimed ugliest band, the Muggs, were also a favorite. Bringing a Zeppelin-esque sound to the stage, I can’t wait to see this band’s next performance.

While some good bands clearly made it through, the question remains, will this show end up becoming the next “American Idol?” It’s hard to say at this point.

Just like “Idol,” the first episode was only the “auditioning” stage, and we haven’t had a chance to see all the bands that have advanced.

Hopefully a few more creative and, more simply put, rocking bands have been given the chance to play another day, giving rise to the chance that “The Next Great American Band” will actually live up to its name.

“The Next Great American Band” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Jake Corbin can be reached at [email protected]