Don't wake them up …

Members of the suburban rock band, Dot Dot Dot, think of their seven-week gig on the Fox reality show, "The Next Great American Band," as a dream come true.

Sure, they didn't quite make it to the end of the series, created by the same producers as "American Idol," but they did reach a milestone, they say.

"We were the last rock band standing," says lead singer, Adam Blair, a Downers Grove South High School graduate now living in Oak Park. "We won our division."

Dot Dot Dot was the only Chicago band to start out on the show that debuted in mid-October. They were eliminated Dec. 7, but after making it to the top five, they have been invited back to play in the finale show, airing at 7 p.m. Friday.

"They did great," says Roger Jansen, of their management team. "We're so proud of them."

Just to be selected among the top 12 bands that performed each week in front of a live audience, the band had to survive a cut that was whittled down from 14,000 demos submitted, primarily through MySpace.

They only came together nine months ago, band members say, assembling from other bands, and already they had landed a national gig.

"It's been surreal," Blair adds, "and intense."

Besides Blair, band members include Lisa Kaberlein, a Fenton High School graduate and Bensenville native now living in Palatine; Michael Bonowicz of Naperville; Stephan Konke of North Riverside; and Rose LaGuana of Chicago.

The addition of two female members makes their band stand out, Blair figures. Kaberlein plays guitar, while LaGuana plays bass. Both formerly played in a band called Catfight, but left to form Dot Dot Dot.

"They're just stars," Blair says. "They're that 'X' factor. They're just amazing musicians, and stand up to any caliber of music."

Band members have been in Los Angeles rehearsing and filming since October, and plan their "homecoming concert" for Saturday at the bar, Joe's on Weed Street, in Chicago.

"This has all been a dream," Blair adds. "When we come home it's going to be quite a culture shock."

The band plays a combination of covers and originals, and they describe their style as a mix of dance music, rock and pop.

"We're geared toward getting everybody to smile -- and move," Blair says.

Locally, they have developed a following at venues that include Durty Nellie's in Palatine and Austin's in Libertyville, but they also play college gigs and tour throughout the Midwest.

However, that should be ratcheted up a notch, after all their visibility gleaned on Fox.

"We're getting calls from record companies, agents, talent clubs, schools, festivals," Jansen adds. "It's great, we're expecting great things from them."

See them on TV, live

Friday: at 7 p.m. on Fox's "The Next Great American Band"

Saturday: at Joe's on Weed Street, 940 W. Weed St., in Chicago

Also: The band, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, with Arlington Heights native Jeff Pardo on keyboards, remains in the running and is in the final three bands on "The Next Great American Band."