Hello Friends:
On the night of Saturday, January 29, I had the pleasure (for the second time) of being a judge in The Ultimate Singer/Songwriter Contest III hosted by Song and Pedro Gonzalez, proprietors of the café and wine bar known as Waltz-Astoria, in the Astoria section of Queens, New York.
My fellow judges on that Saturday night were Jessy Taveras, who organizes a monthly event featuring one of several bands she helps to promote, and Jessica Lyons, a reporter for The Queens Courier, which has just published her article about the contest.
To see Jessica’s article, click here.
This contest was a smashing success, so much so that at the finals on the Sunday night Waltz-Astoria was filled to capacity and some fans of finalists had to watch through the windows outside in the freezing cold!
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, January 27, 28 and 29, 20 performers competed each night for three slots and one wild card was chosen to compete in the finals on Sunday, January 30.
The ten finalists, in the order in which they competed on the Sunday night, were as follows:
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Mieka Pauley
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August Glory (Miranda Inzunza and Morgan Miller)
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Elizabeth Devlin
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Stephanie Nash
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Justin Bohr
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Bryce Larsen
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Lindsay Dragan
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Robinson Treacher
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Jeff Jacobs (with Ricky Steinholz on bass)
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Cat Cat Cat (Catherine Stephani and her brother, Nick)
Cat Cat Cat won $500, a trophy, a show at Waltz-Astoria and the first available slot on Alive with Clive for winning the contest. Bryce Larsen received $50 and a show at Waltz-Astoria for being second. And Robinson Treacher was awarded a $25 gift certificate plus a show at Waltz-Astoria too for being third.
Here is a picture of Catherine Stephani and her brother Nick with me after Cat Cat Cat learned they’d won the contest:
Cat Cat Cat's Catherine Stephani with Clive Swersky and her brother, Nick
Cat Cat Cat was on Alive with Clive on Friday, February 4, and their show on Alive with Clive will be available for viewing by anyone with an Internet connection from Noon on Thursday, April 21, until 11.59 Eastern time on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
To register to see Cat Cat Cat on Alive with Clive free, click here.
Among other finalists, August Glory is scheduled to be interviewed and perform on Alive with Clive on March 25, and other finalists in the contest are likely to appear on Alive with Clive in the weeks ahead too.
Robinson Treacher has already been on Alive with Clive. To see a video clip of Robinson singing “I Got A Good Mind To Keep You (If You’ll Stay)” on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube, click here.
The winner of The Ultimate Singer/Songwriter Contest II at Waltz-Astoria in May last year was Criso Kardia. One of her prizes was a slot on Alive with Clive too. To see clips of her performances on Alive with Clive with Marc Montfleury on The Alive with Clive TV Channel on YouTube, click here for “Never Met A Man Quite Like You Before” and click here for “Shake You Off.”
Song and Pedro Gonzalez are two of the most supportive nurturers of emerging singer/songwriters around. They’ve been running Waltz-Astoria for the past six years and you need be in their presence at Waltz-Astoria for only a few minutes before you feel their love for singer/songwriters seeking to acquire the confidence to perform in front of audiences small or large. By now hundreds if not thousands of singer/songwriters who are building prolific music careers can say that they owe their start or at least a major portion of their confidence to the experience they gained while performing at Waltz-Astoria.
To Song and Pedro, on behalf of all singer/songwriters you support, thank you!
Here is a picture of me with Song and Pedro that was taken after the finals on January 30:
Song and Pedro Gonzalez with Clive Swersky
If you haven’t already been to Waltz-Astoria, at the first available opportunity you have do yourself a favor and go there. You’ll be delighted you did. The food is delicious, and you might note that I think their banana milkshakes are simply irresistible!
For more information about Waltz-Astoria, click here.
Best regards.
Clive
(914) 274-8280
www.alivewithclive.tv — multiplying magnificence one guest at a time!
Clive Swersky's Blog 