Welcome to Pure America's Got Talent

Camille and Kennerly Diebold are identical twins that seem to do everything together. They are models, actors, martial artists, marksmen, volunteers and harpists. The harp is their first love and their passion. Their goal is to bring the harp to the mainstream… but other than being two gorgeous women how are they planning to do that? By arranging mainstream music so that it can be played upon two harps.

And that was what they did for their act. Played a mainstream song on a harp.

But how did the judges take it? We’ve had an act come through a couple of seasons ago that did a powerful classical rendition of a mainstream song. Can this duo act do the same?

You can find out more about the twins at their website, show your support via their Facebook Page or follow them on Twitter! To hear some of their music just head over to their YouTube channel.

Stay tuned for the Chicago Audition episodes rumored to be showing in mid-June! And don’t forget that Season 5 of America’s Got Talent begins on the First of June!

Band Number Two of the evening: Gentlemen of NUCO. The members of the band are comprised of:
- Henry Wang on Violin
- Hugh Palmer on Violin
- Yoshi Nakano on Viola
- Charles Asch on Cello
- Josh Fink on Bass
- Corey Bertelsen on Percussion
- Patrick Slevin on Percussion
An eclectic group of gentlemen that mesh pop culture music with classical sounds. What started out as part of the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra… this group of young gentlemen created their own group to play the mainstream music that they enjoy with the music that they are very talented in.

Coming onstage with their own rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone (instrumental, since there are no vocalists in the group) the mix of classical and mainstream works seamlessly together.

Although to this blogger their personality seems to stem through their music, the judges believe that their stage presence leave much to be desired going so far as to tease them for jumping in sync on beat during the song… but is their talent going to be enough for the judges to pass them on to Vegas?

Go and visit the Gentlemen of NUCO on their website via their bass-man, Josh Fink. To show your support, join The Gentlemen of NUCO on either their Facebook or MySpace pages. To listen to some of their music simply head on over to their YouTube channel to see what else they have covered.

And finally you can listen to samples of their album: Radiohead’s OK Computer, now available via Amazon.com and iTunes .

Here it is, the round two of the acts that auditioned in Chicago on Tuesday evening… As in with the last post, the acts where I could not find information about online or information online is confusing are clumped together into these “nameless” posts.

So if you happened to have any information about the following acts, please either contact us or leave a comment so that we may give that particular act it’s own post.

Again, a quick reminder, that this short series of posts only cover the evening tapings of Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday Evening’s Taping (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):

Read more…

This group of dancers specializes in the realm of steppin and hip-hop.

Originally met and banded together at Florida A & M University to create the group the FAMU Strikers they were invited to participate in the show: America’s Best Dance Crew (Season 3) some of their videos could be found on YouTube.

However, their group consisted of over the requisite seven and a few members opted out for the good of the group during that season and the Strikers moved through the weeks until they were eventually eliminated on Week 6: The Battle of the Sexes Challenge

Now they are back and ready to take on America’s Got Talent. During their audition their transition from steppin into hip-hop was seamless. Throw in a little bit of extra that they learned from ABDC and they have a charismatic and strong package. Piers being one that dislike things being “mixed-up” told them that either they are dancers or tumblers and to simple choose one. Sharon and Howie disagreed and enjoyed what they brought to the stage and potentially to the show.

So what do you think? Do they have a chance to Vegas? Or do them mixing things up going to hurt them in the end?

Show your support by joining their Facebook Page or their MySpace Page. You could also view some of their videos on their YouTube channel or follow them on Twitter.

If you want information on their time on America’s Best Dance Crew, go to their Facebook Page dedicated to the Strikers All Stars as seen on ABDC

Blue Sky Canopy is a band based out of Minneapolis, MN. According to their Facebook Page, the band consists of four friends:
- Jamison Murphy: Lead Vocals and Piano
- Brian Johnson: Guitar and Vocals
- Matt Peterson: Bass and Vocals
- Grant Gibeau: Drums

However, only Jamison and Brian were in attendance at the Chicago auditions which makes one wonder, what happened to the other half of the band? In any case, these two handsome college students go to separate universities and create their music with one another via the internet (what a way to use technology). They have a couple of LPs (self-titled and Real) that are available on Amazon.com and iTunes, and when they have free time it is used primarily to work on their music together (versus via the Internet).

The Fray – You Found Me (Cover)

So when these two friends came to Chicago for the AGT auditions they sang a known cover that the audience loved and enjoyed. In fact the audience loved it so much that they cheered, applauded, danced in the rows from the moment they started singing and well after they were done with their piece. The audience applause was so deafening that the judges were unable to listen to the majority of the act. However, what little that Piers and Sharon were able to hear seemed to indicate that Jamison was clearly the stronger of the two and in order for him to move on he would have to drop his friend along the way.

The audience nor Jamison – needless to say – did not agree with this assessment. Howie even said that it was difficult to hear them over the audience noise. For a long while, Piers and Sharon tried to convince Jamison that the best thing for him right now to continue growing as an artist is to drop his friend and go out as a solo act, because in him they saw a star.

Jamison, loyalty taking over, insisted that wherever he goes, his friend Brian will go with. He even tried to negotiate with the judges that he’ll go solo as long as he could take Brian with him. As it appears, Jamison seemed a bit stage shy or nervous, but when he has his friend on stage with him, he’ll be alright. Jamison even said that Brian’s harmonies are “out of this world”. It would appear that Jamison wanted the judges to give his friend a fair shake in the close confines of Las Vegas, to hear them without the noise and distractions of the audience before making a final decision on them.

He was stubborn but adamant and willing to turn down a chance to move on to Vegas if it meant leaving his friend behind. Howie said that he doesn’t know what Brian is capable of, but basing off of comments from Piers and Sharon he has decided that they should NOT go to Vegas. Next up Piers… Piers thought about it for a long while, throughout all this the audience chanting Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. And finally declared that it didn’t hurt Ringo Starr to be with the Beatles, so it’s not going to hurt Jamison to have Brian with him. A split decision! Last was Sharon… who stared at Jamison, continuously saying that he was being stubborn and that stubbornness could eventually hurt him in the end… but she also said that it is that stubbornness that could help him too.

So which side would Sharon choose? Would she choose to side with her first instinct and not send them on to Vegas? Or would she give Brian the second chance and send them through?

Either way you can keep up with them on their website: BlueSkyCanopy.com and show your support on their Facebook Page. For those of you that prefer MySpace over Facebook, they have a MySpace page with some of the their music available to listen to or even keep up with their tweets on Twitter!

They also have a couple of YouTube channels here and here for you to enjoy as we all wait for the premiere of America’s Got Talent Season 5.

So what is a laryngospasm? According to Wikipedia and other websites – medical or otherwise – it is an uncontrolled reaction (aka spasm) to the vocal chords. So I suppose if you’re singing, that’s one way of looking at it.

But the other, lesser known definition of Laryngospasms (or Spasms for short), is the male singing quartet of practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

The best way to describe this group is that they take popular songs and create musical, medical parodies of them. Case in point in a Christmas party many moons ago a couple of the original members were singing Breaking Up is Hard to Do by Neil Sedaka , and thanks to a suggestion from an audience member, created a parody called:

Waking Up is Hard to Do.

With a couple of albums and videos on YouTube. They have gigs throughout the country all while still keeping their day jobs!

So with a steady gig going on, a chance to go on America’s Got Talent seemed inevitable. As it turns out, their act was all fun and campiness, but is there a spot for them in the mainstream music scene?

No matter the answer, this has been an established group for almost two decades running and have gigs scheduled throughout the United States through 2011. Just go to the The Laryngospasms website for more information. Listen to their music, find out where they are singing at next. Or head to their YouTube channel to see music videos that they have created as well as a video about their trip to the America’s Got Talent auditions in Chicago. Finally if you’re a Facebook junkie, just join their Facebook page to show your support.

Hello all! So after a week or so of digesting and relaxing I’m finally ready to give you all a sneak peek on acts of that could potentially be on television during the Chicago Auditions that were held on April 27 and 28.

Over the course of the next month, PureAmericasGotTalent.com will provide you with information of acts that that have gone through the Chicago auditions, some of the judges comments/expressions, the audience’s expression and any online information in regards to the group for you to enjoy.

However, as always there are some groups where information is scarce or impossible to find, in which case you the reader could help us out. If you have any knowledge of any of the acts feel free to leave a comment or simply contact us and let us know so we could honor them with a post for others to see.

Keep in mind that although AGT Chicago had four tapings, this blogger was only able to make it to two of the tapings, which adds up to thirty-one acts! One per day. =) So enjoy.

This first post is dedicated to the nameless acts where information was scarce or confusing online:

Tuesday Evening’s Taping (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):

Read more…

According to the NBCChicago.com, there are free tickets available for reservations at the following link.

Chicago has four opportunities to see a live taping of “America’s Got Talent” at the Chicago Theatre April 27-28, and the tickets won’t cost you a thing.

Host Nick Cannon and judges Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel will all be on hand for the show tapings, along with an array of singers, dancers, comedians, and performers of all age and style.

Simply go to the link, select a date and fill out your info… Hope to see you there!

Seems like those people who auditioned in Chicago are the best at sharing their experience. I got the following experience shared on my website and it really tells a good story about how much this person enjoyed the America’s Got Talent audition experience:

About a month ago, March 1st, my Dad and I traveled to Chicago IL in order to audition for season 4 of America’s Got Talent. What an exciting opportunity that was! We arrived the 27th of February, did some sight seeing and ate at some nice restaurants, all in order to build up to the exciting day.

Sunday morning (The day of the Audition) we got up at 3am and were at McCormick Place (The Auditioning Area) by 4am. Waiting in the cold and as if that wasn’t bad, what happened next? It started snowing! I would have definitely loved seeing the beautiful snow falling if I was in the comfort of my own home, but alas, I was not. We were waiting basically in the street in the dark of the night, with nothing to do but wait for the time to come that we would actually be inside in the same area as the audition would take place!

To pass the time we chatted with the people in front of and behind us in line. Finding that they had traveled all the way from Nebraska! Wow! I thought we came a long way. A 6 hour drive from Metro Detroit MI! That was walking distance compared to Nebraska. Just kidding. Around 6am they opened the doors. We got inside of course and we waited, once more, in a very long line. Auditions still wouldn’t start until 8am. But guess what! They had a Starbucks inside! 4 to be exact! What’s better than waiting in a long line for hours at a time, than to do it with a Latte in hand!

While waiting, employees and volunteers passed around Release forms and paper work for any contestants who might not have finished theirs, or forgotten it and what not. Of course, due to my very organized mother, I had a folder piled an inch high with everything I needed. Other people passed around pens. Then some release forms for NON contestants were passed around. Why? They were filming the clips that would be aired along with the auditions on the TV! How exciting!

Time finally passed along and the line finally started moving. It was a very, very long line. I know I’ve said that several times but trust me… The line wrapped around the entire building. Literally. Finally we got down the steps. Contestants got a blue wrist band (Which I have in my folder still at this moment). And non contestants were given a Red wrist band (Which my dad basically ripped off the minute we left the building).

We passed a water fountain and just had to take pictures! It was pretty cool! Of course, the minute we stepped past the fountain, we had to put all cameras, cell phones, etc away so they weren’t in use. Past the fountain was what they called, “The Airport Detector”. We had to go through the same process you do at an airport. Removing all bags and shoes. They searched your bag and jacket. An interesting experience, and of course there were 2 lines. Male and Female. There was a shorter line for Females (Lucky us!) so I had to wait for about 20 minutes for my Dad to get through.

He came and we walked through the rope that signaled we were finally steps away from the audition rooms! I handed in my paper work and birth certificate to one of the people at the desk. They checked everything off. Handed it back and gave me a number!! Now, because we were there so early, I had one of the first numbers! My number (Which I also still have!) was 400125! I was the 125th person! That may seem like a long wait, but compared to the 5000 people that arrived for the audition, it’s better than nothing!

So we walked into a very large room! Filled with chairs and many people! All singing, juggling, playing instruments, dancing. It was such a sight! One of the men behind us in line sat down and his assistant immediately started putting makeup on him. What was he doing? He put bright blush and eye shadow. Lipstick and glittery fake eyelashes. A while later, the 2 men walked out to the restroom. As if that wasn’t off enough, 20 minutes later they arrived back again. Now the man with makeup was dressed in pink tights and a leotard and bright pink tutu. He had a short pink wig and did I mention his legs were shaved? Very creepy…

Minutes later, a camera crew came in and started filming. They asked everyone to gather around and scream “Chicago’s got Talent!” it was very fun! They went around the room filming different singers and dancers for clips! It was pretty crazy how everyone was waving their arms around trying to get the cameras attention. And Elvis! Did I mention there were at least 9 people dressed as Elvis impersonators! Oh doesn’t everyone love our King Elvis!

So we were called into the area where we were waiting before. This time there was a huge camera set up along with several other cameras. A Woman with a bullhorn started speaking. Long story short, we spent over an hour screaming Different things such as “We Love Chicago!” and “Americas Got Talent!” They also had a few people picked from the audience to say by them selves “I’ve Got Talent!” Including the Pink man!

Does anyone like Nick Cannon? Well as most know, he is the new host for Americas Got Talent! So they had a surprise for us! He was there! So everyone got to see him and all. It was pretty exciting. But not as exciting as the experience we were getting in auditioning.

More time passed and we were sent back into the waiting room where ANOTHER large group of people had taken all our seats. Too bad. Around 12:30 they FINALLY started calling in the first auditionees! Wait a second…weren’t the auditions supposed to start at 8am? Guess they were running a little bit late…

I was finally called in with 10 other singers like myself. 3 Judges sat in front of the room as well as a camera crew. I must admit, some of the singers were pretty bad. But 2 of them were really good. I hope they go through; if they don’t it would be a shame. One being a 20 year old African woman. She was really good. I was shocked with the voice that came out of her mouth! The others were pretty out of key and one man thought he was amazing, but he only knew how to sing in a very high pitched voice. Odd…. I was very confident with my audition as I said once before!

So it was finally over! When we were done, they let us know that we would get a message or call with in 4 to 6 weeks! That time is almost up!
We walked out of the building and on with the rest of our vaca time! Now whether I get through or not, I really enjoyed the experience.
It’s definitely ok if I don’t make it through. Yes I’ll be very disappointed but obviously there’s a reason. There’s always next year!
My name is Crystal Rosales, I’m 15, and I’ve had such an experience with just the audition alone!

The reviews and comments from the various audition cities are coming in. Check out the comments in previous posts to see other people’s experiences. Overall it seems like people are having a great great time and are really glad they auditioned for the show.

This was a really nice detailed experience which sheds some light on wait times you might expect if you’re getting ready for the America’s Got Talent New York Auditions.

Thanks for sending the experiences in. Hopefully people find these helpful and interesting. I know I’m completely fascinated by the experiences and process. It’s kind of like trying to see Oz behind the curtain.

America’s Got Talent Chicago Audition Experience
We went to the Chicago auditions on Sunday, March 1. We had a confirmed audition time of 2 PM but so did hundreds of others. From what I could gather, contestants had times of 8 AM or 2 PM and your place in line was entirely based on when you got there. No one there ever looked at the confirmation email. We got in line about 1 PM. My daughter’s actual audition took place about 10:15 PM; over 9 hours later. We spoke with a woman who’d arrived about 5 AM who completed her audition around 11:45 even though she was #5 and the auditions opened at 8 AM. I guess the first few hours were spent filming the outside shots and doing interviews. We were never involved in an outside shot in the afternoon. Good thing as it was really cold.

The guy who called out the numbers in the waiting room told me there were a total of 900 auditions on Sunday. My daughter had number XXXXX. We spend the first 4 hours or so waiting in line before getting registered. After we’d been herded down to the lobby area to complete the registration process, we sat in a large banquet room for hours with hundreds of others waiting to be called. In the morning and early afternoon I heard that singers were auditioned in groups of 10. At the end of the day they were being auditioned in groups of 20. Some groups had singers called back after the large group was done but it is hard to say if there really were second auditions on Sunday.

Once in the banquet room, performers were called out of the room in groups of 50 by number. A short time after numbers 600 to 650 had been called in for auditions, they decided to simply take all of the singers at once. That nearly cleaned out the room of performers as practically everyone was a singer. The remaining auditioners were considered variety and totaled less than 25. The large group of singers were taken together out of the banquet room into the lobby area. Once in the lobby, they were separated into 6 groups. Each group waited in line until they were taken back to an audition room. That process itself took over an hour. A guard told me there were about 6 audition rooms total with most being reserved for vocalists

When it was her turn to perform, I had to go into the room with her since she was a minor. The room was a small, carpeted conference room with a wooden floor set up in the center. It was a very good size for an act like ours. There were 3 people in the back of the room. One person was running the camera and another was definitely a judge. I’m not clear if the third was judging or simply there to operate the cd player or any other equipment needed for the performance. The (definite) judge was a friendly, attractive young woman and was very sympathetic about the late hour. Our act was 2:20 and she was allowed to complete it in spite of the 90 second limit. (I don’t know if anyone was NOT allowed to complete their song or act.) The judge told us she did an excellent job and clapped for her. It was nice to hear but not sure if it was significant. I asked her for any performance suggestions but she had none. It’s probably nothing that they do for auditions. She told us that the producers would look at all of the videos and that we would be contacted in 1 to 8 weeks if we were to receive a callback. Other people who auditioned right before us in the same room were told 6 to 8 weeks. And the website now states that performers will be contacted in the next 4 weeks. Go figure. Rumor has it that Chicago auditioners will be called back to New York City but it could be Miami.

It was a long day but my daughter thought it was fun and a good experience. Everyone around was friendly and interesting; especially the ventriloquist Alisha so it wasn’t all that boring. I’m sure we will see Alisha on the show.

A comment regarding a previous poster who auditioned in 30 minutes. The guy who called in the groups told me that Washington D.C. did not have the number of people auditioning that the other cities had. He thinks New York could be worse than Chicago.