Karaoke for the Brave and Talented

By Taylor Sterling

Frank and I were invited to Judge a local Karaoke contest that was held at the Boneyard Cantina in Warwick for the past 3 Saturdays. We also invited a guest 3rd judge each week and the first was Paul Helmrich, our Thursday co-host who is also a music maven. One thing I’ve learned from the past of judging talent shows is there will always be surprises.  Sometimes someone steps up who you would never suspect to be that one person that knocks you over! The contestants ranged from a 15-year-old girl who belted out every song as if she was performing for years to a young gentleman who sounded like Harry Connick, Jr. Angelina, the lovely young woman who produces these events and also has great energy and a very powerful voice does a smashup job, Angelina should be on Broadway! The first Saturday began around 9pm with 21 contestants singing one song, and most were terrific and of course a few stood out. Week two we had to narrow it down to 10 contestants who sang two songs, and our guest judge was NY State Senate Candidate, Dorey Houle. This judging was very difficult, however we had to narrow it down to five contestants which brings us to week three. Last Saturday night was by far the most challenging. Paul Helmrich was once again our 3rd judge and since Frank contracted one of those “man colds” he stayed at home, so his stand-in was our favorite Assemblyman, Karl Brabenec, who is also a music aficionado. We were all in agreement for #1, it was Stephanie Thiessen who nailed all 3 songs with her voice, her stage presence, and her incredible smile.  Her prize for 1st place was $1,000.  #2 was impossible as they were both so good, however it went to a gentleman who referred to himself as Sgt. Pepper. His songs included a Phantom of the Opera duo which he did with a hand-puppet. It was ingenious. and who mentioned afterwards that he is opening a store in Greenwood Lake. His prize was $500. His songs were so versatile. He captured the audience as well. #3 well, maybe 2 1/2 , was Michael who sounded similar to Michael Bublé etc. who also engaged the audience which was packed with the crowd cheering the contestants on all evening. Michael won a $250 gift card to the Boneyard Cantina. All in all, it was great fun for all. Wintry and rainy nights did not matter. Everyone came out to enjoy themselves and make new friends. Keith Yodice, the owner of the Boneyard Cantina has decided to do this 4 times a year. If you hold that hair brush up in front of the mirror and sing to your image, then step out of your comfort zone and perform in front of a live audience and maybe win some moola and meet some great people just having fun.