Denver Bierman (right) sings onstage at Fox Studios during The Next Great American Band. He is pictured with bandmate, Paul Gregory. The band appears on the television show’s finale Friday night at 9 p.m. Photo provided

By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
LOS ANGELES — After 10 years in the music business, Denver Bierman and the Mile High Orchestra have entered a program in continuing education called The Next Great American Band.
Their time on the Fox reality show has taught some lessons in the “business half” of the music business.
“We’re still trying to figure that all out,” said Bierman. “If there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s not just about the music. The music is probably about 50 percent of it. A lot of it has to do with ‘Is there anything interesting about you?’ Is there something that makes you stand out from everybody else?”
For example; the band has taken almost constant shots from judge Ian (Dicko) Dickson, for their attire.
“When I came out here, I was expecting a lot of things but one of them wasn’t my red suit being the center of attention,” he said. “You start to realize that a lot of it has to do with how you do what you do.”
And some of that has to do with the way you look.
“Look at some other groups here — they look like rock stars,” said Bierman. “That’s part of what they want to portray is that persona of a rock star. I don’t think we do.”
Musically or by image, the band has a different sort of appeal.
“I’ve listened to a lot of people since we’ve been here talking about what we should do differently,” said Bierman. “I don’t know. At the end of it all you just have to be what you are. We’ve always been about the ‘average Joe’ kind of thing. We’re average guys with homes and families.
“I’ve always wanted to inspire people to realize that extraordinary things can happen with ordinary people. We got where we are because we didn’t give up. We held fast to our faith.”
Knowing what advice to take and which not to take is the minefield that many bands don’t make it across.
“You know two plus two doesn’t always equal four, it’s 17,” said Bierman. “You may end up with a record exec who thinks that you have to go an entirely different way but maybe that doesn’t mean anything to the people buying your records. You have to listen to the people who care about you, listen to your fans and you just might make it through.”
The voting is complete the band will hope to make it through to a recording contract of their own as the show’s finale airs on Friday starting at 9 p.m. on Fox 28.