Andrews – Standing ovations, last minute stand-ins and a stellar mix of vocalists and even a three-piece band produced a magical ambiance and flawless trinity for the third round of “Andrews Idol” on Saturday night.
Thrumming with excitement this week’s eight contestants came from Georgia, Tennessee and western North Carolina, bringing A-games, A-teams and crowd-pleasing tunes.
Robbinsville’s Gage Hill kicked off the night with “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde,” Travis Tritt’s gritty take on road life gone wrong. Hill also gave the beat and freed the crowd’s souls with his cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away,” getting the crowd humming and clapping to maintain the night’s excitement. Hill closed his last set with “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress,” which only served to crank up the late July heat.
Conner Lilley (vocals), Logan Vaughn (bass) and Brandon Carter (drums) hit the stage with a trio of original songs, bringing the first full band to the competition. Known as The Hollerin Frogs and hopping over from Reliance, Tenn., Conner and band mates showed yet again what the largest music venue west of Asheville is capable of showcasing for original local talent. Original compositions included “Listen,” “If I Was Ever Wrong” and the apropos “I’m Just Here for the Music.”
Andrews area songstress Betty Vaughn-Grindstaff, a last-minute fill-in for a contestant who had to drop out unexpectedly, belted out smooth tunes, including “Satin Sheets” and “Sweet Dreams,” but never made the crowd drowsy with her powerhouse vocals.
Acapulco-born Evelyn Vega, a decade-long resident of Franklin, turned up the heat and conjured Carter families of two varieties with “Ring of Fire,” then cooled off the crowd with “Strawberry Wine.” Vega made the audience go “Crazy” again with her version of the much-sung Patsy Cline favorite.
Graham county native Andrew Cody blew everyone away right before the late summer storm with The Marshall Tucker Band’s standard “Can’t You See” in a premonitory sense of a momentary power surge. Cody later got the crowd to shake that moneymaker with a rousing rendition of The Black Crowes’ version of “Hard to Handle.”
Also representing Graham County, Jenna Bridges appealed to the Generation X attendees with both her fuchsia hair and versions of grunge rock staples, including Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss” and “Learning to Fly” by The Foo Fighters.
Bryson City’s Josh Maxey brought an early 2000s pop vibe with both Ed Sheeran’s “The A-Team” along with “I’m Yours,” a selection from Jason Mraz, and the beloved “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan.
Ball Ground, Ga., karaoke queen Lynn Williams knocked it out of the park with dynamic covers of country music’s leading ladies, including Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead,” Sugarland’s “Down in Mississippi (Up To No Good)” and Gretchen Wilson’s honky-tonk anthem “Work Hard, Play Harder.”
The winners of round three were Cody, Vaughn-Grindstaff, Hill and Lilley. Next week marks the final preliminary round, winnowing another eight contestants to move into the sweet sixteen each Saturday through August. The final four round and winner announcement is scheduled for Sept. 9.
The winner of “Andrews Idol” season one will receive a $1,000 prize along with a full-day recording session at Emanant Music in Atlanta. Details: visit thebluestage.com.