Hartland singer looks to become a wild card at Toronto competition

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By Shawn Merrithew

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A Hartland singer hopes to gain a little coast-to-coast recognition and be crowned Karaoke king on national television.

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Jason Shaw hopes Carleton County will back him all the way to Toronto.

But to do so, Jason Shaw is going to need a little help from his fans in Carleton County.

Shaw is looking to capture a wild card spot at CMT's Chevy Karaoke Star 2008 finals in Toronto.

In May, the Carleton County man travelled to Halifax to compete in an audition, where he finished in the top 10 out of 80 contestants. His performance got him an invite back to perform in front of the judges, he said.

"The judges picked one person out of the top 10 to get the guaranteed spot to get into the finals in Toronto," Shaw explained. "I didn't get that spot, but this is where the voting for the wild-card entry comes in."

The results from the Halifax auditions, which feature Shaw's performance, will air on Sept. 4 on CMT, Shaw explained. Following the conclusion of the show, he said, fans will have one week to cast their vote for their favourite Karaoke star to fill the wild-card spot in Toronto. Votes can be made via text message or online at www.cmt.ca.

"You can vote as many times as you want," Shaw added, noting he expects to know the results by the Sept. 11 episode. "At the beginning of that show, they'll announce the Halifax wild card."

Shaw hopes the whole region will log on and cast their votes for a local star, and, with a little luck, he will be on his way to Toronto to make his community proud. He has been working hard to get his performance publicized and promoted, he said, to get area residents aware and to tune in on Sept. 4.

"If a person was to go online, they can follow the Chevy Karaoke Star 2008," he said. "Everything is explained out to them – like how to vote, when to vote and everything like that."

Still, the talented vocalist said he is looking forward to seeing the show.

"It is quite exciting but nerve-wracking too," Shaw added. "I have had to wait all summer to get to see the show."

In the meantime, Shaw said he has kept his mind off the show by performing all summer long. He performed at Old Home Week's Youth Talent Search and sang at Fusion in Woodstock a few weeks ago.

"I got a great response down there," he pointed out. "On New Brunswick Day, I did a two-hour show at the Triple C recreation hall in Coldstream, which also got a good response."

Now his attention is focused on his upcoming show on Saturday evening at the Royal Canadian Legion in Hartland.

The show gets underway at 9 p.m., and he will perform a two-hour gig in support of his CMT Karaoke Star appearance.

"Hopefully, we will get a good crowd to come out and enjoy my music," Shaw said.

"If they think I deserve a spot in the finals in Toronto, then hopefully they will vote for me. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed."