HOULTON, Maine — An excited audience packed the auditorium at Houlton High School Feb. 2 for the first round of Aroostook Idol competitions.
Aroostook Idol, organized by United Way of Aroostook, is in its third year. The county-wide search for a top vocalist raised more than $30,000 for the organization last year. The funds are used to support non-profit agencies across Aroostook.
“You’ve played a major role in that [fund-raising],” United Way Executive Director Claudia Stevens told the Houlton crowd. “And we thank you for that.”
Stevens’ welcome introduced more than an hour of soloists, all vying for the top title. Eleven singers from the region competed; three were chosen by the audience to move on the Aroostook Idol finale coming in March.
Top winners were Brandon Clark, Nick Hovey and Jarad Carney.
Thirteen-year-old Brandon Clark was the first to step up to the mic Friday, singing Martina McBride’s song, “Broken Wing.” Clark, a seventh-grader at Houlton Junior High School, is the son of Dean and Tina Clark and no stranger to singing competitions; he also competed in last year’s Island Falls Idol.
Clark wowed judges with his powerful voice.
“And I liked how you threw a little bit of soul into it,” added Judge Scott Voisine.
Jarad Carney of Mars Hill also garnered a top spot with his rendition of Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero.” The 29-year-old is part of a band, Django, but said he’s only been singing for the six or seven years.
That wasn’t evident in his voice, though. Judges called his performance “by far the best vocal they’d heard so far tonight” and “the best performance of that song they’d heard in the last few years” of Aroostook Idol, commending Carney for his excellent stage presence and voice control.
Rounding out the top three was Nick Hovey, who impressed the judges and apparently the audience with his self-composed rap song, “God’s Answer.”
That performance also garnered Hovey the distinction of being the first rapper in Aroostook Idol and one of the few to perform a self-composed piece.
Other contestants included the following.
• Christina Tompkins of Houlton sang “Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson.
• Andrew Vetter of Patten sang “Long Black Train” by Josh Turner.
• Robin Lynn Tidd of Houlton sang “Down in Mississippi” by Sugarland.
• Renae Russell of Island Falls sang “Daddy’s Hands” by Holly Dunn.
• Leah Cleland of Mars Hill sang “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift.
• Hillary Nason of Linneus sang “Never Alone” by Barlow Girl.
• Mariah Paige Brewer of Mars Hill sang “The Reason” by Hoobastank.
• Last-minute contestant Windy Scott sang “Angel in Waiting.”
Up next is the central Aroostook competitions on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Presque Isle Middle School. A St. John Valley regional contest will be Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Fox Auditorium on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus.
The Aroostook Idol finale will be Sunday, March 4.
For more information on the “Aroostook Idol” competition, contact the United Way of Aroostook at 764-5197.
