Suburban Chicago's Got Talent Top 15 ready to take the stage
It's crunchtime for the Top 15 finalists in Suburban Chicago's Got Talent. After making the cut from the Top 20 round, the remaining acts must show why they should advance to the finale of the summer talent competition.
That means a lot is riding on the free show at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 29, at the 900-seat Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. The acts must not only impress a panel of judges, but also the general public both in the theater and online for the Fan Favorite portion of the competition.
The act with the most online votes will be guaranteed a spot in the Top 10 lineup and will win Fan Favorite. For 2018, the Fan Favorite prize consists of a $200 gift certificate to the music store Chords in Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale, plus a performance at Club Arcada and other gift certificates. Online voting is at dailyherald.com/entertainment/talent, and begins at 11 p.m. Sunday, July 29, and closes at noon Tuesday, July 31.
The Fan Favorite will be named alongside the grand prize winner of Suburban Chicago's Got Talent at the finale, which shifts outdoors to Addison's Little Italy Fest-West at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.
For 2018, the grand prize has been expanded to include a Development Package (custom video, website development, mentor and photo session), a trip for two to either Nashville or Cleveland, a headline concert and an opening act slot for a national act at Schaumburg's Septemberfest on Saturday, Sept. 1.
For its seventh season, Suburban Chicago's Got Talent is co-sponsored by the Daily Herald, Onesti Entertainment, Amita Health, Zeigler Auto Group, Salon Lorrene and the village of Schaumburg.
Top 15 show: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 29, at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 962-7000 or arcadalive.com
Top 10 show and finale: 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at Little Italy Fest-West at Centennial Park, Lake Street at Rohlwing Road, Addison
Admission: Free, but reserve tickets at events.dailyherald.com
MEET THE TOP 15
Tommy Bravos
Hometowns: Jeremy Benshish of South Elgin, Tommy Bravos of St. Charles, center, and St. Louis native Ryan Donlin
Talent: band
Meaningful performance of my own: I was asked by the music sorority at my alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, to perform for their annual spring fundraiser. Although the show was at a coffeehouse, I was so moved by the energy and response from the crowd present. People were dancing, singing along to my original songs and just making my job on stage even more fun.
Johnny Don't
Hometown: Aurora
Talent: vocalist/songwriter/funny guy
Meaningful performance of my own: One of my favorite musicians is the late Jeff Buckley. I used to get compared to him a lot, vocally speaking, and I was fortunate enough to perform in the Jeff Buckley Tribute shows in Chicago a few times in the early 2000s.
The second year I did it was the first year it was at the Metro. Not only was it my first time performing there, but I stood in the same spot Buckley himself did when he performed there in '94.
The coolest part is I met this really nice lady backstage before the show. She was very kind to me, and I assumed she was another performer's mother. Then right before I walked onstage, a stagehand stopped me. That same woman walked onstage and began speaking. It was Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert. What an amazing experience. Not only getting to meet her, but then going down to Smart Bar after the show and hanging with her and the other performers until four in the morning, sharing stories about Buckley and his music and crying together. It was unreal. I remember thinking, if my music can ever affect even just one person in the way Buckley's has affected all of us, then my life will have meant something.
Morgan Etnyre
Hometown: Elgin
Talent: singer
Meaningful performance of my own: The first time that I sang on stage in Australia, in front of over 5,000 people. It inspired me to want to pursue singing as a career. Also when I sang "Gone Too Soon" by Michael Jackson after he died. It was a very emotional time in my life and I still miss him today.
Ghostille
Hometown: Tommy Rey, Donnie Love and Allen Win of Chicago
Talent: rock band
Meaningful performance of our own: We did one at a private event space in Chicago where many of the attendees happened to be fans. When we played "In My Dream Tonight," everyone in the room couldn't help but dance. The majority of fans knew the words and sang along. They sounded so good, I stopped singing and let the room take the last chorus. Achieving that phenomenon with a song that I wrote was one of the most heartwarming experiences.
HIP POCKIT
Hometowns: Brad Repplinger of Glendale Heights, Tom Lucia of Skokie, Lou Thoms of Lindenhurst, John Ozcomert of Bartlett, Tom Skawski of Elgin, Phil Ganka of Rolling Meadows and Joe Fanelli of Elk Grove Village
Talent: R&B/soul band
Meaningful performance of our own: When we played a fundraiser for a veteran returning from Afghanistan who lost both of his legs. It was an honor to play for him.
Adam Linder
Hometown: Elgin
Talent: singer-songwriter/guitarist
Meaningful performance of my own: Blues on the Fox in 2013 - I came as a spectator and ended up getting pulled on stage in front of 10,000 people. I jammed with Robert Randolph and The Family Band, opening for Buddy Guy. From that day forward, I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
LiveWire
Hometown: Jake D of Plainfield, Alex Cappelli of Geneva, Nikko Viejon of North Aurora and Danny Cappelli of Geneva
Talent: rock band
Meaningful performance of our own: Opening for The Ides of March at the Arcada Theatre in 2013. We remember finishing our first song and seeing the crowd stand up and clap. It was awesome to feel the support and see we were making people happy.
Michael McInerney
Hometown: La Grange
Talent: blues singer-songwriter
Meaningful performance of my own: In 2016, I went to Nashville with the Fernando Jones Blues Kids Camp. We all took part in The Annual Music City Commercial Music Competition along with about 40 other participants. I sang, played guitar, slide guitar and harmonica with our group. Evidently, I stood out from the others and took home the Outstanding Instrumentalist Award. That was a pivotal moment for me as a musician. I gained a lot of confidence in myself, my guitar playing and my performing abilities.
Shannon Nugent
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Talent: singer-songwriter/pianist
Meaningful performance of my own: I was fortunate to have the honor of singing an original song while accompanying myself on the piano at my high school graduation. It was an amazing feeling to make a connection with my graduating class through writing a song that I wanted to be meaningful on an important day.
Rane
Hometown: Chelsea Behrens and Trisha Goddard of Wayne
Talent: singers/pianists/guitarist
Meaningful performance of my own: We auditioned for "America's Got Talent" together playing the Pink song "Perfect." We've always enjoyed music and had a passion for it.
Leo Sclamberg
Hometown: Highland Park
Talent: singer/guitarist
Meaningful performance of my own: The time that I performed at the United Center during halftime at a Bulls game. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life.
Seasalt
Hometowns: Jon O'Brien of Richmond, Drew Zaremba of Richmond, Becky Sargeant of Woodstock and Kayla Seeber of Poplar Grove
Talent: indie rock band
Meaningful performance of our own: When we put together our own EP release concert. We put in a lot of time and effort in planning and booking it, but were worried about how many would turn out. By the end of the night, more than 200 fans came. It was incredible hearing the crowd sing our song lyrics back to us, buying our merchandise and have us sign things. That show was the spark that made us want to continue.
Alex Tangney
Hometown: Palatine
Talent: singer
Meaningful performance of my own: I performed an original song I wrote about losing my Dad to cancer at my high school's writers week. I had my closest friends there to support me as well as my family. It was amazing getting to tell my story to so many people.
Watchtower
Hometowns: Jason Sreniawski of St. Charles, Chloe Weidl of St. Charles, Josh Freehill of Bartlett, Bredia Santoro of Plainfield, Daniel Brozek of Streamwood and Christian Freehill of Bartlett.
Talent: rock band
Meaningful performance of our own: Daniel (Brozek) and I (Josh Freehill) first met and started playing shows in another band five years back. We always had a special feeling being on stage and that was something that we never wanted to lose. The musicians with us now are people who have that same special connection with us on and offstage and now we're united as one band.
Joey Wilbur
Hometown: St. Charles
Talent: singer-songwriter
Meaningful performance of my own: When I played the Arcada Theatre for the first time three years ago for a student concert. This inspired me to want to play live for people and try out for this talent show.
Top 15 Judges
Jim Peterik: The founding member of Survivor, the vocalist and songwriter of "Vehicle" by the Ides of March, and a co-writer of the anthem "Eye of the Tiger" (the hit theme from the motion picture "Rocky III").
Carl Giammarese: A founding member and lead guitarist and vocalist of The Buckinghams. Starting in 1965, The Buckinghams were an important part of creating the sounds of American rock music after the British invasion had changed everything.
Ron Onesti: President and CEO of Onesti Entertainment Corporation, which runs the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and outdoor concerts and festivals throughout the area.
Barbara Vitello: A Lisagor Award-winning reporter, the Daily Herald's principal theater critic and legal affairs writer.