BURBANK, Calif. (Top40 Charts/ Queen Official Website) Over the course of the past 10 weeks, vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists and keyboard players from across the U.S. and Canada have auditioned online at www.queenextravaganza.com, hoping to become part of "The
Queen Extravaganza Tour," a major production launching in 2012 featuring performances of Queen's biggest hits. The contestants performed such
Queen classics as "Killer Queen," "Somebody To Love," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Another One Bites The Dust," among others. Fans had until November 28th to vote to determine the 21 finalists (6 vocalists, 6 guitarists, 3 drummers, 3 bassists and 3 keyboard players with Taylor picking an additional five wildcard finalists). The full list of finalists is available at www.queenextravaganza.com. These 26 hopefuls will be flown to Los Angeles to meet Taylor and perform their final audition live on December 5th at Foo Fighters' Studio 606 West. Auditions and interviews with Taylor and the finalists will post throughout the day at www.queenextravaganza.com .
"I look forward to the final auditions with these 26 young musicians," said Taylor. "It's going to be a long and difficult day, but the end of the first stage of the long and exciting road to the opening of The
Queen Extravaganza."
The buzz surrounding "The
Queen Extravaganza Tour" has sparked worldwide interest with video submissions generating millions of views to date. Television host
Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the level of talent, that she invited hopeful Marc Martel to perform his audition, a stunning rendition of Queen's "Somebody To Love," on her show. Fans around the country felt the same way, awarding Martel the MTV O Award for Best Fan Cover. His performance from The
Ellen DeGeneres Show can be viewed at: https://ellen.warnerbros.com/2011/10/marc_martel_performs_somebody_to_love_1003.php
Launching in 2012, "The
Queen Extravaganza Tour" will feature three vocalists and a five-piece band and will be booked by powerhouse agency CAA. Taylor is fully hands-on, taking the role of producer and music director.
The 26 finalist are as follows:
VOCALISTS
Cody Bond - Albuquerque, NM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoUVwi7DeHs&feature=player_embedded
Selcuk Sami Cingi - Boca Raton, FL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvh4szHWODU&feature=player_embedded
Aisha Elmehdaoui - Seattle, WA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmDyRNcCN0s&feature=player_embedded
Jennifer Espinoza - San Antonio, TX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg_zs-FIJus&feature=player_embedded
Michelle Jameson - San Marcos, TX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YnwssK1zHM&feature=player_embedded
David Martel - Montreal, QC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSD9PeMZZwE&feature=player_embedded
Marc Martel - (Montreal, QC / Nashville, TN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmFEh5zsBY&feature=player_embedded
Tyler
Martin - Edmonton, AB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orHhQ0lsM78&feature=player_embedded
Sean Slaughter - Portland, ME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOUY1zPx9Eg&feature=player_embedded
GUITARISTS
Tristan Avakian - Toronto, ON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBxAvY2hISI&feature=player_embedded
Richie Castellano - Staten Island, NY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3x9vvskQ9U&feature=player_embedded
Jason Du Preez - Vancouver, BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXIsjPIM7lc&feature=player_embedded
Brian Gresh - Tulsa, OK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQLlXl-J3I&feature=player_embedded
John Notto - Hollywood, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWlHZzPj2yk&feature=player_embedded
Roy Ziv - Toronto, ON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt1l-fcjYsQ&feature=player_embedded
Steve Zukowsky -
Santa Monica, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi7NAHAn4xw&feature=player_embedded
DRUMS
Zach Mullings - Boston, MA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRjILqo_ww&feature=player_embedded
Billy Orrico - Denville, NJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_33v1fCMxq4&feature=player_embedded
Nico Saavedra -
Orange County, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=604-56p4R2U&feature=player_embedded
Tyler Warren - Camden, TN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfNszLK9GJk&feature=player_embedded
BASS
Juano Davison - Laguna Beach, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trGx_DPqSD4&feature=player_embedded
Francoise Olivier Doyon - Quebec City, QC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_zCnHAZII&feature=player_embedded
Brian Weaver - Philadelphia, PA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVVA1Bh-XBU&feature=player_embedded
KEYBOARDS
Tushar Apte - Los Angeles, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFw_0LJNARk&feature=player_embedded
Brandon Ethridge - New York, NY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sYt2yMyWE&feature=player_embedded
Mac Willaert - Saint Charles, IL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN-gzcMVSX0&feature=player_embedded
As the centerpiece in the 40th anniversary celebration, Queen's entire 15-album studio catalog has been reissued in a series of deluxe editions. Every note has been tweaked, every piece of artwork cleaned, freshened up and resourced, wherever necessary, with the legendary Bob Ludwig having done the remastering, working from the original source material. The first installment, comprised of the first five LPs (QUEEN, QUEEN II, SHEER HEART ATTACK, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A DAY AT THE RACES) was released May 17, the second installment (NEWS OF THE WORLD, JAZZ, THE GAME, FLASH GORDON, HOT SPACE) was released on
September 13 and the final deluxe box set installment (THE WORKS, A KIND OF MAGIC, THE MIRACLE, INNUENDO, MADE IN HEAVEN) was released November 1 andis available now at on amazon.com.
www.queenonline.com
www.freddieforaday.com
www.queenextravaganza.com
https://www.queenextravaganza.com
