Haven’t paid attention to American Idol in a long time, but this season there has been a South Carolina connection that has piqued my interest anew…contestant Elise Testone is from Charleston, where she plays with her band the Freeloaders. Testone also is/was a member of Columbia band Justin Smith and the Folk-Hop Band, which has issued a couple of excellent rock/hip-hop albums featuring her on some of the vocals. For those unfamiliar with Elise, here’s a video primer, starting with her AI group audition from tonight’s show and continuing with some live clips from Charleston and elsewhere:
ps: a friend pointed out to me just now that there is another contestant from South Carolina still in the mix, Candice Glover from St. Helena Island. She was on season 9 of AI but got cut earlier than the point she’s at now…so good luck to her, too.
