Elvis Costello with Kris Kristofferson & Rosanne Cash

I know I’ve mentioned Spectacle many times before in this space, but I have yet to really weigh in on the show itself. To me it’s kind of a cross between PBS’ defunct Sessions at West 54th and Bravo’s short lived Musicians with David Wild (where Elvis was once a guest). Fortunately, Elvis is a more compelling host than Wild and the live performances on Spectacle are well, more a “spectacle” than those on Sessions (which were more akin to straight up live studio recordings). All in all, it’s a pleasure to see a show about music that has a knowledgeable host, employs thought provoking questions and chooses both interesting and exciting interview subjects. What I like the most about Spectacle is that Elvis doesn’t feel that he has to ask the kind of trite questions that every musician gets asked, with this convention cast by the wayside, it frees up the show for a lot more interesting conversations. Sure, it doesn’t always work splendidly 100% of the time, Lou Reed was a little taciturn, Julian Schnabel seemed like he had a little too much to drink, and the lute sequence with Sting was a bit self-indulgent for my tastes, but these are minor quibbles. The show is only getting better as Elvis becomes more comfortable in the host’s chair and this week’s star studded episode (Jan 21) features Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, and John Mellencamp.

If you’re a fan of the show or a fan of winning things, then you might enjoy the eco-friendly Spectacle prize pack I’m giving away this week, it’s a bunch of Sundance related merch which includes the following items:

1 Keen/Sundance Bag
1 Pair of Speakers
1 T-Shirt
1 Notebook
1 Sigg/Sundance Thermos

Send an email to contests@bumpershine.com and tell me who is your favorite artist to appear on Spectacle so far this year, or alternatively, tell me who is your favorite yet to appear on Spectacle this year. A random winner will be chosen on January 28, 2009. Sorry, this contest is only open to US residents.