After a Saturday spent playing ping pong with local photographer/Sneak Reviews guru Andy Acquaro and local painter Dave Moore, I went to judge a talent show organized by Ty Cooper, the director of Sure Shot Events and the man behind the recent "Best of Both Worlds Dance and Step Competition." The show—titled "Virginia Got Talent?"—brought in everything from Beyoncé and Rihanna covers to a rap tune with a pretty memorable hook about dirtbikes to the first proper go-go band I’ve seen since Chuck Brown played Satellite Ballroom.
Along with Tanisha Thompson of 92.7 Kiss FM and a New York-based singer named "June," I watched 18 acts rip through two hours of music in the Lane Auditorium of the county office building before a crowd of at least 200 people, each performer hoping to nab the night’s $1,000 prize. All talent shows should be this well-supported and well-attended, folks—hats off to Ty Cooper.
By the time it came to announce the winners, however, crowd support became a bit more complicated. Each band was honored with applause, yet The Malice Band, a locally based go-go act, seemed to have the crowd’s votes locked up. The crowd, however, didn’t have any votes to cast. The winners? Longtime local rock act The Wave, who released the album High Road Hard Road earlier this year.
You can imagine the dynamic—a bit like watching the "Top Chef" judges select Hosea when many powerless home viewers pegged Stefan as the better contestant. I heard more than a few "Boos" in the room following the announcement, along with comments that would’ve fared will in a "Virginia Got Cursing?" competition. And while the band seems pretty pleased with the evening, the three members of The Wave looked slightly dumbfounded. Whether this was because of the victory or the crowd’s reaction is beyond me.
The Wave has improved by Zeppelin-loving leaps since I last saw them, and their performance was certainly a standout for me. But some folks on-hand certainly felt differently, which made for a pretty uncomfortable room for the performers (and, yes, the judges).
So, were you at the talent show? Did you have a dog in the fight? Who would you pick as the winner?
