Contest puts ‘pick me’ dreams on the line

Simon, Paula and Randy aren’t sitting in the judges seats, but the routine is the same. Contestants line up, sign up and sing out, hoping the make the cut for Mid-Missouri Idol.

Roosevelt Dawson, a 41-year-old Columbia man, was coaxed by family and friends to try out for Mid-Missouri Idol and credits them and “the good Lord” for getting this far.

“I can remember singing as a little kid on stage at age five for a school group,” Dawson said. “We were doing ‘It’s a Small World After All,’ and I remember really liking it.”

“My aunt passed away in Chicago, and I was asked to sing at the service,” Dawson said. “I just thought, if they asked me to sing for that, then I must be good enough to do this.”

Only two participants advanced into the final round from last week’s auditions. The first being Dawson and the second, a man who prefers his fans to call him “Aren B,” as in the musical genre R&B. He is actually 26-year-old Brendan Woodard, a 1998 Hickman High School graduate and Columbia resident. Since leaving Hickman, Woodard says he has “been recording music like a maniac.”

He describes his style as neo-soul, with a mix of R&B.

“It’s just a new-age soul, like your Maxwell, with more live instrumentation,” said Woodard. “It’s more of a new school sound, that’s what I like to call it.”

Woodard said he chose to audition for Mid-Missouri Idol this time around, because he regretted not participating in the event last year.

“First of all, it’s my city, you know?” he said. “Everyone’s been telling me to (audition) and this year, I just told myself to do it.”

The event is hosted by Cumulus Broadcasting every Thursday night in June in collaboration with the Twilight Festival. Walk-up registration begins at 5 p.m., and open auditions start at 6 p.m. on the Courthouse Square.

The competition will end June 29 with finalists competing at the Missouri Theatre for the title of “Mid-Missouri Idol.”

“We don’t limit how many can try out,” said Jennifer Martin, promotions director for Cumulus Broadcasting. “But each person can only audition once.”

Participants must be at least 16 years old to audition.

The winner of Mid-Missouri Idol will not only have the honor of singing on July 4 on the main stage of ABC 17’s “Fire In The Sky” event, but they will also have a professionally-produced single played on the radio.

Even though Woodard and Dawson are not on the real “American Idol,” it doesn’t stop them from dreaming of a music career.

“I would love to get up and really sing, to see how Randy, Simon Cowell and Paula would respond to my performance,” Dawson said.

Woodard has similar ideas. “If I could get in front of Paula and those other guys, I just know they would pick me,” he said.