Blake Marvin
This guy from Lone Tree, Colo., heads his own country-pop-rock band and released a seven-track CD, “Keep Movin’ On, back in 2007. He said he’d been thinking about auditioning for Idol for six or seven years and finally did it in season nine because was prodded by “everybody I know.” His most memorable performance was opening for Lonestar with his band at a gig in Nebraska. Oh, and he’s sort of a MacGyver type. He says he’s gifted at working with anything that has a power source and built his own 5-foot-4 android robot named Carl. Link: Go here to hear the songs on that 2007 CD on the Blake Marvin Band Web site.
Casey James
This 27-year-old from the Fort Worth, Texas, area is the guy that took down his hair, then peeled off his shirt at the request of Kara DioGuardi, who seemed more interested in his look than his sound. But he’s apparently been playing music for a good while. According to his Facebook page, he has fronted a number of bands in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and is working on forming his own band with his brother. Why did he audition for Idol. Well, his mother pushed him to do it. Besides, why not? “She kind of pointed out the fact that it’s a freebie chance, kind of like playing the lottery, but without even having to pay. Link: Go here to see Casey’s Idol audition.
Colten Pierce
I can’t find any of Colten Pierce’s music on the Web. So if anyone knows where I can, please comment below. But this 17-year-old from Lexington, N.C., has apparently been performing for a good while. He says his parents were skilled singers and he practiced karaoke around the house. His first public performance was in church at age 6, when he sang “I Surrender.” He plays guitar and keyboards and has also played several sports. “I have more ambition that you’ll find in a 17-year-old,” he told Idol, during his video interview. Link: Go here to watch that interview.
Danny Jones
Another teen, Danny hails from Billings, Montana, and said his sister convinced him to take a family trip to Denver to try out for Idol. He says he writes music , plays guitar and that his voice “is a little more jazzy than people would expect.” On his MySpace site, Danny says, “ I used to care way to much about my image, but i learned that it honestly should not matter. People should love you for who you really are.” As for special talents, he beatboxes (seems to be a lot of beatboxers among golden ticket recipients this year) and he’s “really good” at frisbie. Link: Go here to see Danny’s video interview for Idol.
Harrell Holmes Jr.
This guy from Saginaw, Mich., is apparently a veteran of “Star Search,” so he has experience in Idol-like competitions. His MySpace page classifies his music as R&B/pop/hip-hop and you’ll find two songs there. In his Idol interview, he says his grandmother passed away recently, and she always wanted to see him on American Idol, so that inspired him to audition. He’s only 17, but says he’s old school and loves Motown music, but can also “dance like Chris Brown.” Sounds like an impressive combination, but I’m a little worried about his lack of musical taste. He cites Nick Mitchell (Normund Gentle) as his favorite moment on Idol. Link: Go here to hear those aforementioned songs.
Jareb Liewer
He now lives in San Diego, Calif., but says he’s a small-town Nebraska guy. And, in addition to singing and playing guitar, he’s a talented gymnast and acrobat. Or so he says in his Idol video. His motivation for auditioning in season nine? Simple. He wants to help out family and friends “with all the money I ever need.” His thinks his patience and ability to see things from both sides will serve him well on the show. He also learned from watching Adam Lambert sing “Ring of Fire” during country week last year. “When given a genre like country, he still made it his,” Jareb says. Link: Go here to hear two of Jareb’s songs on his MySpace page.
Jeffrey Goldford
At 28, this Chicago, Ill., resident says time is running out for him to “make something happen” in the music business. It isn’t as though he hasn’t tried, or hasn’t enjoyed some successes. He used to front a band called Everyday People, which released a six-track EP called “Complicated” and classified as funk rock in 2005 (available from CD Baby) and a 12-track album called “Catch Me” in 2007 (available through Rhapsody). According to his MySpace profile, he was working on writing and recording a solo CD. Then the Idol audition came along. On MySpace, he classifies his music as soul. Link: Go here for seven of Jeffrey’s songs, including the impressive “Body’s Best Friend.”
Jimmy Charles
This aspiring country singer was born and raised in Berlin, Md., but has since moved to Nashville. In his MySpace bio, he says he’s been singing since age 7, when his mother used to take him to nursing homes to sing for the elderly. He also says he’s written more than 70 songs and points to one — “Whatever It Takes” — as indicative of his attitude. “Whatever it takes has been my motto through the time of struggle every artist goes through! I will never give up or stop pushing,” he writes. His repertoire also includes “When the Hero Dies” since every country artist apparently must have his or her own patriotic anthem. Link: Go here to listen to those two songs and several others.
Mark Lariola II
This 28-year-old looks more like a computer consultant Idol’s blue bar identified him as than a singer. He also looks a lot like Jack Black and has a sense of humor. “I don’t have a problem being compared with the ugliest guy in Hollywood because he’s funny. And I’m sure he gets girls. So I deal with it.” Up until May 2008, Mark sang vocals and played guitar for a Christian / rock / alternative band called Foolish Things; in fact, he was apparently with the band for 10 years. He also has a son whom we met on Idol. Link: Go here to listen to four songs by Foolish Things and here for his Idol audition.
Sham Al-Islam
Sham, who lives in Las Vegas, performs as B. Soul and classifies his music as R&B / soul / hip-hop on MySpace, where his bio says “his presence in the music industry would add a refreshing new sound with clever, yet profound lyrical content, soulful melodies, real -singing and real-songwriting. His music is grown up enough for adults, but fun enough for younger audiences.” This is his second go-round on Idol; he was also a contestant in season four. At age 28, he has an 11-year-old son. He says the fact that he’s been doing music for a living and is on stage all the time should give him an edge in the competition. Link: Go here to hear his songs as B. Soul.
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