The King’s Yomen: a group friends with a talent of yo-yo-ing. With their tricks in beat with the music they have been entertaining audiences for a few years and extend between Oregon and Michigan.
The purpose of this group is to entertain and teach children the art of yo-yo-ing:
So they came on stage and started yo-yo-ing, but almost immediately you could tell that something was off. Whether it was the timing or the beat, it felt like they were behind from the get go and could never catch up.
However, their tricks were good and would have worked if they were on beat… The question though is that would their off-beat performance cost them a trip to Vegas?
To find out more about The King’s Yomen, please visit their website or their YouTube Channel.
Do you know how many bands are out there with the name Iron Horse? Let alone how many of those bands specialize in country music? Talk about finding a needle in a haystack!
Egah… so many days spent trying to find information about a band that this blogger knew virtually nothing of except the high amount of energy and enthusiasm this trio brought to the stage and the sheer number of fan that came with them.
Fortunately for you readers, she’s found them!
This band is comprised of identical twin brothers and a friend:
– Aaron Cyrus DaCorte: Vocals and Guitar
– Carl Edward DaCorte: Vocals and Bass
– Bill Suppes: Percussion
Iron Horse played Folsom Prison Blues made famous by Johnny Cash. Although it was hard to hear, you can tell that something special happened onstage. However, not being able to hear the lyrics of the song was a sore point for the judges… Would an obstacle like that be what ruins their chances for Las Vegas?
Here we go… the last set of “nameless acts” for the Chicago auditions. This set comes from the Wednesday evening taping after intermission. If anyone out there happens to have more information about the acts in these posts, please do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment in the post.
Again, as a quick reminder, that these posts only cover acts that graced the Chicago Theatre stage on the evening tapings of Tuesday and Wednesday.
This marching band is eclectic, high energy and fun. The EE Magic Circus Band has been playing at various venues throughout the Chicagoland area. But what does EE stand for? Well… upon investigation: Environmental Encroachment.
Environmental – Adjective
1. Of, relating to, or associated with the environment.
2. Relating to or being concerned with the ecological impact of altering the environment.
3. Medicine Of or relating to potentially harmful factors originating in the environment: environmental illness.
Encroachment – Noun
1. an act or instance of: advancing beyond proper, established, or usual limits; making gradual inroads / trespassing upon the property, domain, or rights of another, esp. stealthily or by gradual advances.
2. anything taken by: advancing beyond proper, established, or usual limits; making gradual inroads / trespassing upon the property, domain, or rights of another, esp. stealthily or by gradual advances.
So from this vocabulary lesson, I personally think that environmental encroachment is the an act that advances beyond the norm of their surroundings… anyway, I digress.
This very strange and offbeat group graced the Chicago performance scene over fifteen years ago and now decided to expand beyond their comfort zone and onto America’s Got Talent stage:
But is a marching band suitable for a stage setting? Without the space the accomodate such a large band or to march around, wouldn’t the joy of it get lost in the shuffle?
Howie doesn’t think it will, he saw the fun and joy the band brings. Piers on the other hand thought is was far too disorganized… But what would the audience think?
Have you ever wondered what your grandparents do on their free time? Well if you live in St Louis, chances are high that your grandmother is part of the dance troupe: The St Louis Strutters. This dance group is comprised of grandmothers who simply love to dance… specializing in tap they have performed not only locally at the MUNY (The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis) but in such venues as the Imperial Palace and Freemont Street both at Las Vegas… they are a non-profit organization devoted to aiding those in need.
Here is KETC’s cover on the St Louis Strutters
Having danced to sold out shows at the MUNY one would think that America’s Got Talent auditions would be a walk in the park. With their energy and performance they won over the judges…
Howie would love his grandmother to join their group, while Sharon would join them herself. Meanwhile the women flirted relentless with Piers… hey if it worked for Grandma Lee…
Would this love-fest give them the edge for a trip to Vegas?
To find out more about the St Louis Strutters at their website. Unfortunately they do not have a personal YouTube Channel… however some videos are on YouTube as taped from the audience: Video 1, Video 2, and Video 3.
What do you think of when you hear the name Forty Fingers and a Missing Tooth? If you are like me, nothing would make any sense… that is until they came out with a big stack of bowling pins then it dawns on you, “Oh! It’s a juggling act!” But then why the name?
As they would tell you, “Between the four of us there are forty fingers, and well he’s missing a tooth. Thus the name.”
Oh, dang, was so hoping that the story would be more interesting than that. Ah well, wishful thinking.
Anyway, the self-described comedic juggling act has been performing locally for a while and wanted to expand their audience base… (Note: The video below is missing ten fingers and a tooth)
After stripping off their pants, revealing brightly colored shorts and lots of hairy body parts, they juggled through their act. Their campy act was much appreciated by the audience and Howie, but Piers and Sharon thought them to be juvenile in areas.
But with the audience behind them would that be enough to send them to Vegas?
He’s hip, he’s suave, he’s Spellbinder (aka Walter King Jr)! Complete with a red suit (ok… a zoot suit), and some bling, he walks with a strut that could make some women swoon (not this blogger, though I could see the attraction).
According to his website, he has already performed at various venues on the Las Vegas strip… so why would he need America’s Got Talent?
I suppose seeing his act would help us out with that:
So his act consisted of playing with a handkerchief and having it stand up straight in his hands. After which he places the handkerchief on the top of his suitcase and starts dancing with it to the beat of the music…
Unfortunately the judges and the audience got bored with him and buzzed him out very quickly. While the judges were telling him how slow his act was going and that in this competition he can’t just ease into his act he has to grasp the audience right away. Spellbinder stood there, silent as he manipulated the handkerchief in his hands and turned it into a dove… and then subsequently turned it into two, effectively silencing the judges.
Question though is if that was enough to take him to Vegas? Or is it too little too late?
To find out more about Spellbinder you can look him up on his website.
The Gateway Men’s Chorus is an all male chorus that promotes the GLBT community of St Louis. Wearing all khaki (so if you happen to be shopping in the Chicago area and was wondering why they were short on khakis in late April you know who to blame) and various colored shirts they came onstage to serenade us with the Trolley Song from Meet Me in St Louis .
Quick Side Note: This group did a practice run of their song as the audience were taking their seats and were given a round of applause.
What caught my attention about this group was that one person wasn’t necessarily singing, he was signing the song to the audience… Now that’s catering to your public. =)
Complete with some basic dance moves and harmonies Piers believed the group was too campy for the show. Howie thought that they were missing something and couldn’t quite place his finger on it. Sharon liked the music and the group but could see how others might not have enjoyed it.
Howie interjected that he realized what was missing, WOMEN! They needed lesbians in the group to make it complete for Howie.
Though there were mixed reactions from the judges, the audience seemed to enjoy it, but would it be enough to send them on to Vegas?
So now that most of Tuesday evening’s acts are posted… it’s onward to Wednesday evening and the seventeen acts that graced the stage and eventually America’s television sets. Unfortunately I’m only going to mention sixteen of them, because one of them I realized I have no recollection of, I must have blocked it from memory.
As always the following list are acts that are “nameless”, mainly those where information online is either confusing or scarce. So if anyone out there happens to have more information about the acts in these posts, please do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment in the post.
Again, as a quick reminder, that these posts only cover acts that graced the Chicago Theatre stage on the evening tapings of Tuesday and Wednesday.