Vocalist Amber Sauls has attended almost every week of NEPA Scene’s Got Talent as both a spectator and participant in impromptu duo Hoppy Slot Mess with singer/songwriter Katie Evans, but it wasn’t until Week 11 of the open mic and talent contest that she brought her full band, Eye on Attraction, to Thirst T’s Bar & Grill in Olyphant and won the audience vote.
She and guitarist Mike Trischetta, bassist Joe “Quincy” Terry, and drummer Andrew Merkle decided to perform a last-minute set of two songs, taking their original high-energy rock songs and stripping them down acoustically. The gamble paid off despite stiff competition from regulars and newcomers alike on June 2.
Music: Jordan Ramirez, Adam Fox, Joe Craig, As Days Go By, Katie Evans, Hoppy Slot Mess, Eye on Attraction, Black Lighter, and Adam Bailey
Comedy: Matt Serniak, Pat Schwartz, Tyler DiBenedetto, Dan Hoppel, Elliott Elliott, Checkout Joe, Zack Hammond, Kevin Lepka, John Walton, Ted Hebert, and Russell Austin
Last week’s winner of the audience vote, singer/songwriter Adam Bailey, headlined with his own original songs and a cover, while Eye on Attraction won $50 in cash and the chance to headline the next event on Tuesday, June 9, along with a slot on the next NEPA Scene Talent Showcase, where the 12 winners from 12 consecutive weeks will compete in front of a panel of judges for the grand prize – a vacation package that includes $500 cash, three days and two nights in Cleveland, Ohio to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Brewing Company, tickets to a Cleveland Indians baseball game, and a free recording session at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton when they return home.
NEPA Scene’s Got Talent is sponsored by Thirst T’s Bar & Grill; Great Lakes Brewing Company; LT Verrastro, Inc.; TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. For more information on the weekly event, which is always free and open to anyone, click here.
Read more about Eye on Attraction in this week’s Got Talent spotlight.
Photos by Alex Seeley Photography
