The Badger Herald

NEWS

Badgers brave weather to audition for Campus Idol

JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo

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Also by Becky Vevea:

University under fire for snow dumping (April 9, 2008)
Students vie for Jeopardy! spot (April 4, 2008)
Economist seeks support with special video lecture (April 2, 2008)
Union plans call for unique looks (March 28, 2008)
Idol comes to campus, without Simon (March 27, 2008)

by Becky Vevea

Friday, April 11, 2008

Several University of Wisconsin students trekked through the rain Thursday to perform for a panel of judges on the last night of auditions to become one of 10 All Campus Idol finalists.

Students trying out had 10 minutes to tell the judges a little about themselves and perform a song a cappella.

UW sophomore Erin Gundersen said the intimate atmosphere of the tryout made her nervous.

“It’s a lot more nerve-wracking to not have any music and just be in front of a well-lit group of six people rather than 600 people,” Gundersen said.

The Wisconsin Student Alumni Board held auditions over three different days during different time slots, according to All Campus Idol Director Josh Wolf.

“We had a record turnout, more than 40 people for 10 spots,” Wolf said. “I’m confident that if no one had showed up tonight, we would still be able to fill all 10 spots with excellent singers. The competition is really stiff.”

With record turnout, Wolf added they have seen a variety of performances, from original raps to ballads to rock songs.

UW sophomore Michael Barbour said he performed a rap song he wrote about Madison after he transferred to Arizona State University last semester.

“I transferred to Arizona State and came back, and I just wrote about how cool Madison is and how much I underappreciated it,” Barbour said.

The winner of All Campus Idol will open for Talib Kweli at the Badger Blowout Concert Wednesday April 23.

Barbour said if he made it into the top 10, he would have a good chance because “having a rapper open for Kweli would be appropriate.”

“If I were to make the top 10 I believe [rapping] would considerably help my chances,” Barbour said. “Not having the beat playing in the background is the thing that fears me the most because the words play off the beat.”

Barbour wasn’t the only rapper who auditioned. Wolf said they had a couple during the last two auditions.

Gundersen, who was a finalist last year, said at the beginning of the audition the judges ask a couple of silly questions to get a feel for the candidate’s personality and stage presence.

According to Wolf, WASB videotapes auditions so judges can review the contestants before selecting the 10 finalists.

“We ask them some character questions, and those will be put into a composite video that’s going to get played as their intro vid,” he said.

Gundersen said if she is a finalist, she is looking forward to the week leading up to the performance because contestants get to know the other participants, and also because “WASB makes it a really good time.”

The 10 finalists will be notified today and will compete on Tuesday, April 22 as part of All Campus Party, an annual weeklong, cost-free and alcohol-free celebration put on by WASB.

The three judges for the concert will be Dino Ress, an organic chemistry professor, Dean of Students Lori Berquam and Ken DeBauche, former Badgers punter.

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