HERE

Happy Canada Day!!

Its been awhile since I have posted any updates.  With all the drama of the quarter and semi finals, combined with all the dramma surrounded these events, I have been extremely busy.  We are now down to the 3 finalists from Casa's and The Mill.  Due to the postponement of the quarter finals at The Whiskey, we are holding the semi finals this Wednesday.  Here is first a list of the semi finalists at The Whiskey, followed by a list of finalists from Casa's and The Mill.

The Whiskey Semi Finalists

Candace Doherty

Crystal Lemieux

Alysia Therrien

Greg Hayes

Samarie Renaud

Kristen Essery

Kim Schultz

Donna Briggs

BLUESFEST IDOL FINALIST WHO WILL BE COMPETING FOR THE TITLE SUNDAY JULY !# AT BLUESFEST INTERNATIONAL

From Casa's :

Chantell Martin

Steve Richer

Victoria Zahaluk

From The Mill :

Cerah Steele

Laurie Sanchez

Shawntelle Lalonde

I will post the finalists from The Whiskey shortly after they are chosen.  The voting booth opens on my home page on Thursday July 3 at Noon until closing Saturday July 5 at Noon.  Vote for your favourite qualifier who DID NOT make the finals.  Voting is limited to 1 vote per household per hour.  Last week when I opened the voting booth, I  did not have my Webmaster "lock it up".  Someone found a may to vote unlimited, actually ended up being 8 people. If anyone tries to overload the system again by hacking our voting booth, the competitor receiving the illegal votes will be DISQUALIFIED AND BARRED FROM THIS AND FUTURE BLUESFEST IDOL COMPETITIONS.

Sorry for this but I had to waste alot of time fixing the problem and I am trying to spend my time making this a great competition.

Thanks for your continuing support,

Big Pat Ryan

This has been an interesting week for Bluesfest Idol.  This week saw the quarter finals for Casa's and for the mill.  The Whiskey did not have their quarter finals due to be closed for a fire code violation.  I apologize to all who came out that might.  The Whiskey's quarter finals are rescheduled for this Wednesday at the Whiskey, 8:30 start.  The semi finals for Casa's will be Tuesday and The Mill will hold their semi finals on Thursday, both with an 8:30 start time. The Whiskey will have their semi finals Wednesday July 2.

Here are the semi finalists :

Casa's

• ERIN JOHNS
• VICTORIA ZAHALUK
• STEVE RICHER
• JEN KNIGHT
• JENNY SCHUURMAN
• JUSTIN RAISBECK
• JULES WALTON
• CHANTELLE MARTIN

The Mill

• MARK BARTLETT
• ZAINA FATTOUH
• CERAH STEELE
• SHAWNTELLE LALONDE
• FRANK PRESELLO
• STACEY WOOD
• DAVID MILNE
• LAURIE SANCHEZ

Friday the 13th......this will be the last blog to tell you who has qualified for the quarter finals because the quarter finals are next week.

Here is the list of the last two weeks of qualifiers.  I had one of the qualifiers have to withdraw due to personal reasons and I filled the open spot Thursday June 12 at The Mill

Tues June 3 Casa's : Clayton Brewer and Tammy Reeves(had to withdraw)

Wed June 4 The Whiskey : Alysia Therrien and Amy Ferguson

Thurs June 5 The Mill : Clara White and Sheina Wood

Tues June 10 Casa's : Jessica Patrick and Kelly Meloche

Wed June 11 The Whiskey : Joni Lariviere and Kristen Essery

Thurs June 12 The Mill : Joe Babiuk and Lawrence Holland-- also Justin Raisbeck who will replace Tammy Reeves at Casa's

We also landed our last sponsor, Cow With A View Recording Studio.  They are providing us with 2.5 hours of studio time for the winner.  Thanks Shane!

Hope to see you at the quarters and semis

Big Pat Ryan

Last weeks qualifiers were:

Qualifiers for last week were:

Tuesday May 20 Casa's : Chantelle Martin ad Jenny Schuurman

Wednesday May 21 The Whiskey : Jenna Simpson and Greg Hayes

Thursday May 22 The Mill : Christine Reeve and Vicky Hamel

Sorry about not having updated the blog on this site.  This contest is taking much more of my time then I originally thought it would.  Here are the qualifiers for the last 2 weeks:

Tues May 13 at Casa's : Deborah Leftly and Jen Knight

Wed May 14 at The Whiskey: Glen Herglotz and Time Bass

Thurs May 15 at The Mill : David Milne and Nicole Wod

Tues May 20 at Casa's : Chantelle Martin and Jenny Schuurman

Wed May 21 at The Whiskey : Greg Hayes and Jenna Simpson

I will post tonights qualifiers on Friday May 23

Don't forget to check out the Windsor Bluesfest Idol group on Facebook and also join your favourite qualifier's fan group. Just search their name and you will find their group.

Also please join the Bluesfest international group.

Thanks,

Big Pat Ryan

Fringe Notes, Dalson Chen- The Windsor Star, May 5/08 Bluesfest's Own Version of American Idol- Windsor Bluesfest Idol

Bluesfest’s own version of American Idol
No one wants to hear me sing.

I didn’t always know that. In fact, I used to impress the hell out of myself with my shower renditions of Led Zeppelin tunes. “Been daaazed and confused for so long it’s not true...” Oh, I was magic in the bathroom.

But in recent years, I’ve noticed that even the hint of a melody out of my mouth elicits groans of misery from others. Especially co-workers. Which has led me to realize I probably sound best when I’m being drowned out by running water.

That’s why I’m confounded by the Idol phenomenon. You know what I’m talking about: Otherwise sensible people raising their voices in song for public judgment.

“Yeah, I’ve sung karaoke before,” says Mike Piccioni, owner of The Whiskey Bar & Grill. “I’ll sing Jessie’s Girl with the band every now and then. ... Trust me, I’m usually drunk at the time.”

See, the phenomenon is happening right here in Windsor. The Whiskey is one of three bars across the city taking part in the first ever Blues Fest Ido.

Ever since mid-April, there’s been karaoke contests three nights a week to determine a core group of qualifying competitors.

Once 48 decent singers have been found, they’ll go through a series of elimination rounds. The final 10 contestants will perform onstage in front of hundreds at Windsor’s Bluefest International in July, with the grand prize winner earning a $1,000 cheque, professional studio time and the title of Bluesfest Idol.

Contest organizer Pat Ryan of Kingsize Entertainment says the response has been excellent – as many as 80 people showed up for The Whiskey’s first night.

“We’re looking for natural ability, performance quality, showmanship and audience rapport,” says Ryan, who’s judging the qualifying round.

But Piccioni says no one should feel intimidated. “Based on last week’s turnout, it was not filled with professionals. You know what I mean? It was not professional singers. They may have thought they were,” he explains
They may have thought they were, he explains with a chuckle. . “People just like to perform.”

That was made clear last Wednesday night at The Whiskey when innocent songs such as The Band’s The Weight were led to the slaughter. “Take a load off, Annie,” belted out one hoarsevoiced Idol hopeful.

Despite the contest title, entrants needn’t worry about singing the blues. Almost any style of song is welcome. Ryan says he has some 48,000 tracks on his hard drive, and the only restriction is: No rap music.

Brittany Williams, a 22-year-old daycare chef, took a shot at the mic every night she could until she finally qualified last Thursday.

The night before, she was still trying to make it with an earnest version of Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten. You know – that song on the Pantene commercials.

“My friends say I sing pretty good, so I thought I’d try it out,” Williams says.

Bluesfest Idol continues 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at Casa’s (2477 Dougall Ave.), 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at The Whiskey (300 Ouellette Ave.), and 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday at The Mill (3199 Sandwich St.). 19+, no cover, no entry fee.

The last night of open qualifying is June 12, so try out soon. Online: www.bluesfest.com, www.kingsizeent.com.

The Whiskey and KingSize Entertainment would like to congratulate the 2 newest quarter finalists, Tricia Bourque and Kevin "Radar" Flowers. This should stir up even more controversy since Radar is from White Cloud Michigan, our 1st American qualifier. Now before any of you get up in arms, please refer to the rules and regulations. I made residents of Michigan and Ohio eligible since one of the venues is downtown. Once again, a great turn out at The Whiskey. A fun time was had by all! I have to say to the people that did not qualify tonight, you are making it hard on me to pick 2 quarter finalists a night. Keep coming out and trying. Tomorrow from 9-1 at The Mill(3199 Sandwich), I will be choosing 2 more quarter finalists. If you want the chance to be on the stage at Bluesfest, sometimes you just gotta keep working at it. Remember to tune into AM800 for the Windsor Bluesfest Idol update every Tuesday at approx 3:50 with Melanie Deveau and myself.

Just a quick message about Windsor Bluesfest Idol. KingSize Entertainment and Casa's Nightclub would like to congratulate Steve Richer and Sherri Burke for becoming the 2 qualifiers this week at Casa's. Only 12 more spots to be filled at Casa's for the quarter finals. Join me tonight, Wednesday, from 9:30-1:30 for your chance to qualify for quarter finals to be held at The Whiskey(300 Ouellette).
I would also like to welcome Fusion Hair on Tecumseh rd at Goyeau as the newest sponsor. All 10 finalists(and probably the judges too), will be getting help from Michelle and the crew at Fusion to make everybody look like Idols on Sunday July 13.

The Whiskey and KingSize Entertainment would like to congratulate the 2 newest quarter finalists, Crystal Lemieux and Brad Bailey. Once again, a great turn out at The Whiskey. A fun time was had by all! I have to say to the people that did not qualify tonight, you are making it hard on me to pick 2 quarter finalists a night. Keep coming out and trying. Tomorrow from 9-1 at The Mill(3199 Sandwich), I will be choosing 2 more quarter finalists. If you want the chance to be on the stage at Bluesfest, sometimes you just gotta keep working at it. I have been working hard at making this a success. Melanie Deveau popped in to say hi. If you don't know, Melanie Deveau is the host of Windsor Now on AM800CKLW. She is our newest judge and has me doing a weekly update every Tuesday around 3:50 PM. Tune in to hear the latest Windsor Bluesfest Idol News. I also had a visit from Dalson Chen from The Windsor Star. I will let you know when the story is going to be published.

KingSize Entertainment and The Mill would like to congratulate the 2 newest quarter finalists--- Stacey Wood and Brittany Williams. Stacey contacted me after seeing an ad I placed on Kijiji for Windsor Bluesfest Idol. Brittany has been to every qualifying round so far and her persistance paid off! Make sure you get the Windsor Star on Monday May 5. Dalson Chen will have a story about Windsor Bluesfest Idol in his column. Also, tune in to AM800 next Tuesday around 3:50PM to hear my weekly update with Melanie Deveau, host of Windsor Now and one of the judges for the finals. Last but not least, www.thenewcanadianwildside.com has pics from tonight at The Mill and the last 2 nights.

See you next Tuesday at Casa's 9:30-1:30,
Big Pat Ryan

The first two qualifiers from Casa's are Julie Walton and Jason Temple.
I would also like to thank our newest sponsor, The Wedding Guide, for giving us 2 nights at the Windsor Hilton to add to the prize packages.

KingSize Entertainment and The Mill would like to congratulate Laurie Sanchez and Shawntelle Lalonde as the first 2 qualifiers from The Mill. We again had some phenomenal singers and I thank everyone for making this first week a good start.

The first 2 qualifiers from The Whiskey are Donna Briggs and Kim Schultz. Congratulations, but I have to say, there were 25 singers tonight and 13 were incredible and the rest were pretty damn good too. Keep coming back to qualify.
Thanks everyone for making the first night at The Whiskey a huge success!
Thursday night, qualifying continues. Come join me at The Mill(3199 Sandwich) from 9PM-1AM for another night of good times and trying to qualify for Windsor Bluesfest Idol. There are only 22 more chances to qualify.

Two people qualify every night for the next 7 weeks at Casa's, The Whiskey and The Mill. We have 6 qualifiers now, with 42 spots left for quarter final action.
KingSize Entertainment and The Mill would like to congratulate Laurie Sanchez and Shawntelle Lalonde as the first 2 qualifiers from The Mill. We again had some phenomenal singers and I thank everyone for making this first week a good start.

I am putting a challenge out to the GUYS though. There are 5 female and only 1 male qualifier so far. I know playoffs are here, but the chance to be Windsor Bluesfest Idol only happens once a year.

I would also like to welcome Long and McQuade as our newest sponsor. They are giving us a starter Fender Stratocaster package valued at approximately $300.