‘Nashville Star’: contest at Naval Station Everett

Published 11:37 pm Friday, February 22, 2008

EVERETT — David Brunner, 23, used to sing fearlessly at church and at boot camp.

On Friday, he learned how difficult it is to sing in front of judges.

Brunner, a Navy machinist mate stationed at Bangor, was among roughly 40 people who sang country songs at Naval Station Everett with hopes of appearing on the NBC talent show “Nashville Star.” The contest was open to those in the service, their spouses and military civilians.

Although Brunner was nervous, his voice didn’t waver as he belted out “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” the popular Brooks &Dunn hit. The crowd loved it, clapping and stomping as he sang a cappella.

“It was like my own metronome, I didn’t have to tap my foot anymore,” said Brunner, who finished in third place.

The top three performers from Friday’s event were placed on a list of 100 finalists from singing competitions at Navy bases around the world. From that list, the Navy will pay for 10 people to travel to Norfolk, Va., in April to audition for the television show.

First and second place on Friday went to Jennifer Hogard and Michelle Farmer, whose husbands are in the Navy.

The contest drew a lot of buzz on the base, Larson said. More than 60 people were in the audience.

“We’ve had a lot of phone calls from people who just want to watch to see what it’s about, and some from people who were very interested in auditioning,” she said.

At the Everett event, contestants each took 30 seconds singing songs of their choice. They had no microphones or music, but they were allowed to play their own instruments. Only a few people played guitar while they sang.

A panel of three judges narrowed the field to 10 people. The remaining contestants were then judged on their abilities to sing complete songs, and the three winners were chosen.

The judges were Stephanie Rose of 94.1 KMPS, a producer for Ichabod Caine and the Waking Crew; Eric Tingstad, a Grammy-winning guitarist who plays adult contemporary music; and Tobie Seth, a lifelong singer with experience in radio, musicals and karaoke.

“I like originality, something that’s a little different than the norm,” Tingstad said. “People like to imitate other people instead of cutting their own way.”

During the opening round, several people sang different versions of “How Do I Live,” “Walking After Midnight” and “Don’t Take the Girl.” A couple people, strumming guitars, performed songs they wrote themselves. Other tunes included “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and “The Gambler.”

A few contestants barely began singing when they forgot the words to their songs.

Chris Crawford, an aviation ordnanceman aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, said singing in front of the judges was definitely more nerve-racking than singing karaoke while out at sea.

“I think I did all right,” Crawford said. “It was not my best, and not my worst.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.