A kindergarten teacher's eyes grow wide as she surveys the audience filling up the bar. An aspiring country singer moves his lips as he silently reviews the lyrics to "Desperado" in his head. A sailor in a leather jacket high-fives strangers as he tries out a few dance moves he'll try onstage.
"You'd better listen when I get up there, because it's going to rock," says J.C. Rucker, a Navy ensign from Fort Meade. He was one of 11 aspiring pop stars preparing to step onstage Tuesday night at the Whiskey to audition for "Annapolis Idol," a talent contest that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity, boosted a music career or two, and grown more popular every year since debuting in 2008.
"Last year was my first as a judge," said Amanda Fegley, a volunteer with the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center, the nonprofit group for which the event raises money, "and I was astonished at the level of talent. I'm thinking we might see the same thing tonight."
The kindergarten teacher, Kristin Anzures, 28, who loves pop folkster Colbie Caillat, hopes to make it as a songwriter. The country crooner, Greg White, who has driven down from Westminster, likens these pre-show moments to prepping for a football game. "If you don't have butterflies, you're not ready," he says.
And the wildly outgoing Rucker, 22, a rhythm guitarist with an Odenton rock band, hopes to "make a dent in the Annapolis market" for his group, he says.
Then he confides his true motive, and he might well be speaking for any of the clerks, homemakers and business types who will seize the microphone tonight, visions of icon status doing the hustle in their heads.
"Ultimately, it's about me singing and getting my face out there," Rucker says with a laugh that could rock a row of amplifiers. "I do like to be out front."
The Hit Man
It's already 8:15 — the show was to start at 8 — and as friends, fans and family continue to stream in on a chilly Tuesday night, a man in a black cowboy hat — a karaoke jockey who calls himself Eddie the Hit Man — is warming up the crowd and laying the ground rules.
The format is high-powered karaoke, he says, and each singer is to choose one song to perform from the 40,000 Eddie has in his jukebox.
Three judges will sit opposite the singers, rating them in each of four categories, including vocal talent, appearance and the "it" factor. "You might not be able to sing a lick, but if the crowd can't take their eyes off you, that matters," he says.
The judges will confer at the end, choosing one winner for the night who will be guaranteed a spot at the final "Annapolis Idol" show — a $55-per-ticket benefit to be held March 6 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.
It's the third of five consecutive Tuesday-night tryouts, and the judges will also choose at least one alternate whom they might also tap for the March show. The rest have the option of auditioning again the following week.
"It's all about relaxing, having fun and showing your stuff," says Eddie, an Annapolis "KJ" whose real name is Eddie Hitt, over pulsing canned music. "Contestants, look at me; take a deep breath, let it go and have fun."
He pulls a name from a hat. "I need Kristin up here," he says. A startled-looking Anzures leaves her stool in the front row and takes the stage.
"I'm going to sing 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor," she says, clutching the mike between her hands and closing her eyes.
A familiar guitar riff fills the air, she sings her first impassioned notes, and tryout night is under way.
Anzures' performance — spare and heartfelt, Taylor's original melody pared down at the edges — holds the audience from first to last, drawing nods from at least one judge and a round of warm applause at the end.
It's also an object lesson in the dynamics of an "idol" show — her number will be the mellowest of the evening by far, something the singer couldn't possibly have known.
After the contest, Anzures reflects on that point.
"If I'd been able to see what the others did, I might have tried something different," she says with a shrug. "You saw the competition. It was so good."
Musical microcosm
That should come as no surprise, given the state capital's reputation for attracting and producing performing artists.
"The Annapolis area has such a fantastic little microcosm of amazing musicians," said Jessica Pachler, a local who writes a nightlife column, After Dark, for The (Annapolis) Capital. "On any given night, no matter where you go, you'll find great live music. In its way, Annapolis rivals much bigger cities."
Pachler was a "celebrity judge" for the final round at the first "Annapolis Idol." She'll fill that role again on March 6, when she, last year's winner, Cat Stratakis, and J. Ernest Green, the music director of Live Arts Maryland, will select three finalists from among the 10 who survive these early rounds.
The audience will choose the winner that night.
But Pachler is referring merely to the professionals and other regulars at popular local venues.
That roster of established performers doesn't necessarily include those who cultivate their talents more or less in private, hitting the occasional karaoke session, singing at parties or in church or just crooning their favorites in the shower.
For some who try "Annapolis Idol," Pachler says, the goal is simply to strut their stuff in public for the first time in hopes of drawing the attention of local players who might need a new vocalist.
Such was the case with Danielle Massarini, an amateur who won the first contest in 2008, who went on to land a gig as lead vocalist of the local blues/rock cover band the Urban Legends.
And followers of the music scene say Stratakis' win last year, for a rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the Broadway hit "Dreamgirls," has helped propel her career as lead singer of the Annapolis-based band Rhythm Method.
Tonight's lineup includes Warren Larkin, a veteran of R&B bands who owns a car-detailing company in Annapolis; Emily Richardson, a grocery clerk in Crofton who has long been a star gospel singer at her church; and Lisa Logan, a homemaker in her 50s who loves singing at VFW and Moose Club karaoke nights and competed against Massarini in 2008.
Logan, who goes by the stage name Trixie, says her goals are simple: "to have fun, entertain and get a lot of applause for a job well done."
The three daughters she and her husband, Dennis, have raised are embarrassed by her hobby, but "they're never too embarrassed to join in after a few cocktails."
Richardson has a less sentimental agenda. "It would be a blessing to be able to record my own CD," she says.
Blue notes
The Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center, founded in Annapolis 17 years ago, aims to "create a more peaceful and productive community" by teaching clients to resolve disputes "through education, facilitation and mediation," according to its website.
It has fervent supporters on hand tonight, including Fegley and Chantal Dukette, a board member who is also serving as a judge, and Carolyn Sullivan, a PR professional who volunteers with the organization.
"Mediation really works. It's astounding how well it works," she says as a new performer chooses a song. "That's why I'm here."
Sullivan has helped with the contest every year. "We're never quite sure what we're going to get" in terms of talent, she says — it has ranged between those who clearly have the chops to go pro and those who, as she puts it, "uh, try hard" — but, she adds "we're usually surprised by the quality."
One needs no mediator to appreciate the artistry of Richardson, a tall and commanding presence who raises the energy level the moment she takes the stage.
Richardson, 58, who fronted a local band called the Impacts in the 1970s, draws shouts and cheers from the crowd of about 75 people by the time she reaches the first chorus of "If You Don't Know Me By Now," a bluesy love song Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes made a hit in 1972.
She builds gradually to a rafters-shaking volume, punctuating each escalation with a forceful slash of the hand.
"She knows how to work it," Fegley says later.
Larkin is mellower in approach but no less powerful in his vocals, taking on "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again," a funky ballad made famous by Jeffrey Osborne and LTD.
"C'mon, y'all, put your hands together," he shouts, and the audience obliges as Larkin climbs the ladders of pitch and volume.
Adrienne Mach of Parkton, who only learned of the contest earlier in the day, takes the microphone and sings "Power of Love," the Celine Dion hit, leaving the stage to big cheers. Meghan McCarthy, a clothing store manager, makes "No Rain" thoroughly her own, bopping and wiggling through the bouncy Blind Melon hit.
Rucker grabs the mike and plunges straight into the crowd, his energetic vocals a little less impressive than the boldness of his presence.
"You give love a bad name," he snarls, the audience singing along on the Bon Jovi hit as he kneels on the floor and launches into an air guitar solo.
Winners
"Mercy, I'd hate to be a judge tonight," declares the Hit Man as the tryouts come to an end, and the three judges confess that this lineup — the third they've heard — might well be the best so far.
They repaired to an outdoor deck at the Whiskey, where the conversation comes down to weighing vocal skill against presentation.
The winner "is going to have to entertain 300 people" at Michael's Eighth Avenue, says "Hurricane" Kevin Lebling, an Annapolis musician who organizes open-mike nights, so it's crucial to look at things like personality, charisma and presence.
If it weren't for the icy wind, they might still be conferring.
Some contestants sang well but didn't dress up — a major negative. Others connected with the crowd but missed a few notes. Still others were strong in every area but overwhelming in none.
Judges clearly had their favorite personalities — McCarthy, 25, was "adorable," Fegley says, and Lebling teases her about contestant Chris Violette, who sang a love song in her direction.
Ultimately, they agree the most significant factor is vocals, choosing two winners for the night: Violette and Dana Smith, who sang a straight-and-classy rendition of Bette Midler's "Glory of Love."
They also pick two alternates, Larkin and Mach. (Richardson and another contestant, Vina Henderson, have already qualified as alternates.) Organizers can summon any of those four to appear in the finals.
The Hit Man reintroduces the night's 11 singers, who line up to applause.
No one appears disappointed — not even Rucker, who vows to return next week and give it another try.
"Come back and check it out," he says with a starworthy smile. "It's going to be a party."
TRYOUTS
Anyone 18 or older may try out for Annapolis Idol. The last two auditions will be held March 8 and March 15, between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., at the Whiskey, 1803 West Ave., Annapolis.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Annapolis Idol Finals
WHERE: Michael's Eighth Avenue, 7220 Grayburn Drive, Glen Burnie
WHEN: March 6, 5 p.m. -8 p.m.
TICKETS: $55 ($50 each for groups of 10), $65 after Mar. 1. Ticket price includes hors d'ouevres, drinks, a silent auction and the Annapolis Idol performances.
INFORMATION: Call 410-266-9033 or go to aacrc-md.us/NewsEvents.html or call (410) 266-9033.