Hometown singer/songwriter shines at Canadian Idol


Caleb Mack, 24, holds guitar and golden ticket in hand June 19. The singer/songwriter from Hantsport traveled to Toronto for Canadian Idol and made it to the last round of eliminations, with 46 other contenders, before being cut by the judges who selected the top 22 finalists. Christy Marsters Hometown singer/songwriter shines at Canadian Idol
By Christy Marsters

It was an eight-hour wait, from morning to night, for the simple chance to face Canadian Idol judges Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner in Halifax.

Caleb Mack, 24, from Hantsport suffered through all hours of waiting in audition trailers and through all nerves to receive a golden ticket to Toronto. He became one person of 18 to make it out of Halifax.

Having to perform near the end of the Halifax auditions, around 10 p.m., was worrisome because everyone was saying the judges were cranky, Mack said. “As soon as the judges started talking to me I knew everything was fine. They said I had like a James Taylor thing going and I did a bit of guitar picking; they really liked it. It was a good audition.”

Once in Toronto, 198 idol hopefuls continued to display talents in a group, duet and sole setting on stage. With the competition narrowed to 46 people -- judges made the last round of cuts before the finals -- Mack was sent home just short of reaching the top 22.

Toronto was an exhausting process because it was similar to going through boot camp with no sleep, Mack said. “I knew my last performance wasn’t great and I knew as I was walking up to the stage I wasn’t going to get in.”

It was good to learn things from the experience even though my profile really wasn’t really the type the judges were looking for, Mack said. “It came down to the decision of whether or not I deserved a chance and the judges told me they didn’t know if I had enough star power.

Looking for funky

“My opinion is they were looking for somebody funky,” Mack said. “They were looking for somebody young; more of a pop singer, and I didn’t change who I was.”

Mack considers himself a country-blues singer and a serious musician.

After returning to a normal lifestyle in Hantsport, he was determined to continue focusing on songwriting and getting his songs out there.

Coming back home was nice because everyone in the community was really supportive and proud of the Canadian Idol accomplishment, Mack said. “As far my music goes, family and friends really pushed me to tryout for Canadian Idol. The support has motivated me in the last couple of years to really do something and to take the career seriously.”

The only regret from the Canadian Idol experience was not playing any original songs, Mack said. “It’s more rewarding to write your own songs and have people really like them.

“People told me the judges weren’t looking to hear original songs,” he said, “but if I could go back, I would probably have played more originals and thrown all unofficial rules out.”

Mack says the Canadian Idol experience was worthwhile and great because of the opportunity to meet other amazing people, but it’s not something he plans to tryout for again. He is content reliving the Canadian Idol experience by watching the show on CTV and routing for his favorite.

Tyler Mullendore, from Lake Ainslie in Cape Breton N.S., is really down to earth and a good guy with great music style, Mack said. “I’d like to see him win.”