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Country Star Contest Moves From Online To On-Screen Tonight With 2 Local Contenders

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By WALT BELCHER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

The next Great American Country Star could come from the Tampa Bay area.

Out of the thousands who auditioned for a Nashville recording deal being offered by the GAC cable network, there are six finalists, including up-and-coming singer J.C. Anderson, 23, from Lakeland, and a seasoned foursome, One Night Rodeo, a band from Bradenton.

The "Next GAC Star" is Great American Country's version of "American Idol" and "Nashville Star."

"But we've done it in a different way, entirely through an online voting based on video performances, making this really a fan-based process," says Sarah Trahern, GAC senior vice president of programming. "It's like YouTube Meets 'American Idol.' Thousands have been voting online, and it has resulted in some very strong finalists.

"We've got people who were singing karaoke and flipping pizzas to people who have had recording contracts before," she adds. "This competition is a first for us because we don't do much reality programming."

GAC is the home of the Grand Ole Opry, loads of country music videos and profiles of country artists.

The network's first performance contest moves to television at 9 tonight with a final round of voting set for Sept. 10.

The documentary-style program tonight profiles the finalists and follows them as they rehearse an original song and the cover of a popular song. They also tour Nashville and meet Trace Adkins, Montgomery Gentry and Phil Vassar.

Immediately after the program, viewers can vote at www.gactv.com/star. Two finalists will be booted off at the beginning of the Sept. 10 program. A winner will be selected that night via live voting during the program.

"I can't tell you how excited we are because we've been performing together for more than 10 years; we've been to Nashville and back," says One Night Rodeo guitarist Jack Tamburin.
Tamburin and the other guys in the band - Duane Alluson, Mike Elrod and Cory Hildreth - are in their 30s, have families and haven't given up their day jobs. Tamburin is a letter carrier; Hildreth owns a flooring business; Alluson runs an irrigation business; Elrod is a truck driver.

"We're just hard-working guys who love music," Hildreth says.

They are frequent performers at the Joyland nightclub in Bradenton, where a watching party is planned tonight.

Meanwhile, for Anderson, a graduate of Bartow High School, this could be the break he needs to fulfill his dream.

"I've been singing since I was a teenager and I was going to study medicine, but music is in my heart so I wanted to give it a shot," he says. "Winning would mean the world to me."

For the past four years, Anderson has been living in Nashville getting established as a country artist. He has been on the bill with Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Brad Paisley, Adkins, Lonestar, Diamond Rio and others.

A music video of his love song "When the Tide Rolls In" (also the title of his album) has been a fan favorite so far.

"This is getting my music out into the world," he said in a recent telephone interview. "My goal is to entertain people and bring joy through the music."

Anderson says his father, who is from Norway, has been a huge inspiration because he was a country music singer in Norway before becoming an engineer in the oil industry.

One Night Rodeo's music video is "Touch Me," a love ballad filmed on the fly by a student videographer using a couple of Sarasota actors. It was shot at the Manasota Key home of pop singer Bobby Vinton.

Described as "a little contemporary and a little country," One Night Rodeo is ready to go on the road to play bigger venues if it becomes the GAC star.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Bones, 8 p.m., Fox

The two-hour season debut finds forensics expert "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) solving crimes while visiting London.

Republican National Convention, 8 p.m., CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, PBS

All eyes will be on John McCain's choice for a running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

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