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Adam, jumping for your love

… indicates a continuation, a sign that there’s more to say, more to come. And for Adam Blair and his band Dot Dot Dot, that couldn’t be more true.

From the band’s inception, things moved fast. The Chicago-based power pop-rock band played to 1,300 people at its third show. Within five months Dot Dot Dot landed a spot on Fox’s reality TV competition, The Next Great American Band and released a CD. It’s been nine months since the band’s national television debut, and lead singer Adam Blair says his head is still spinning.

“It’s been hectic and insane. It’s great and I love it, and I thank God every day,” he says. “Without music, I’d be 100% screwed. I can’t type, and I don’t spell so good. It’s the only thing I know how to do, the only thing that ever came naturally to me, that I do well. I didn’t get into music, music got into me.”

And it seems that fans and critics get into Dot Dot Dot. Six thousand bands auditioned for The Next Great American Band, 12 made the cut. For six weeks last fall, Adam and band mates Michael, Stephan, Rose and Lisa took their talent—and their eyeliner—to the west coast, where they lived together in the middle of Hollywood with the other bands, including some Christian rockers, a group of pre-teen boys who often performed shirtless and a couple of indie kids from New York.

From week to week the American Idol-style competition kept the bands on their toes, not always giving them a say in what they played. “Some weeks they gave us an artist and catalog to pick from, some weeks they’d pick for us.”

Rose, Michael, Stephan, Lisa and Adam are ...

Adam and Dot Dot Dot took the challenge of playing songs that weren’t necessarily their style in stride. “I’ve played [a mix of] cover songs and my own music my whole life,” Adam says. “I’ve always had an appreciation for other people’s work. We took whatever they gave us and made it our style even if it didn’t start that way.” One of the songs they covered, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Your Song,” remains in their set list today.

Even though the band’s 5th place finish was impressive and the show catapulted Dot Dot Dot to the national stage, Adam was originally opposed to the band’s participation and isn’t sure he’d choose to participate again if the opportunity presented itself. “It’s a battle of the bands, and music is interpretative. Not competitive.”

Currently, Dot Dot Dot is making the rounds at a number of Chicago’s much-loved summer festivals happily playing for the fans, not the judges. “We like playing festivals in the summer. I’m a huge fan of walking on stage and smelling an elephant ear. We like playing outside. Come say hi.”

I had the good fortune to see their set at Midsommarfest in Andersonville last month, and no matter what style they played, Adam, Lisa, Rose, Stephan, and Michael’s energy was undeniable and contagious. Even Adam’s dad is addicted to the music. He insists on working at the band’s merchandise table any time he sees them perform. “We have people who work the merch table,” Adam says, “but he won’t leave!”

Not that Adam minds having his parents around. In fact, his parents mean so much to him that he had a tribute to them tattooed on his arms: Ima (the Hebrew word for “mom”) is inked on his right arm, and Abba (Hebrew for “dad”) is on his left.

“Mom is the kinda super Jewy one in the family. When I took off my jacket and she could see something was there she said, ‘Oh Jesus Christ! Tell me you tattooed yourself.’ The she started crying because she saw it said “Ima.”

So what comes after the … for Adam and Dot Dot Dot? “We’re recording now and we’re on the road touring at least four nights a week. And you can put the word out that I’m looking for people to join my new band, the Rosh Hasha-na-nas; it’s a Jewish Doo-Wop group.” While I was ready to break into a round of “The Great Pretender” for an impromptu audition, this sounded a little suspect to me. Turns out, Adam was kidding.

Catch Adam and Dot Dot Dot at Taste of Lincoln, Retro on Roscoe, and Market Days this summer, as well as a number of other Midwestern bars and festivals. Their self-titled CD is available on their website as well as iTunes. For a full list upcoming shows or more information about Adam, Lisa, Rose, Michael, and Stephan, check out on their official website  or their MySpace page.