Jamie Lono & Noble Heart

Jamie Lono finally won the big prize.

The Chicago blue-eyed soul singer, eliminated from "The Voice" this spring, came out on top at the Land the Big Gig finals Wednesday at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, collecting a $25,000 grand prize.

Lono's first order of business with the money: pay the band, he joked with event host, "American Idol" Season 8 finalist and Milwaukee native Danny Gokey.

"I don't think I've realized that I've won that much money," Lono told the Journal Sentinel. "For any musician, $25,000 is amazing."

Lono, 23, who until last month made sandwiches at a Potbelly location in Vernon Hills, Ill., competed against funky, cool five-piece lounge act Flavia and the Red from Los Angeles and brother-sister acoustic duo 1703 (originally from Burlington, now living in St. Paul, Minn.) for slices of $45,000 in cash prizes.

Flavia came in second, collecting $12,500, and 1703 third, winning $7,500 based on scoring from three judges: Bob Babisch, vice president of entertainment for Summerfest; Tyrone Miller, a.k.a. DJ Bizzon, co-writer of Tap Milwaukee's Hip-Hop Takeover blog; and radio personality Gretchen Bartlett of WLWK-FM (94.5).

"We were split on the decision," Bartlett said in an interview. "The quality was top notch." But ultimately the contest went to Lono, who "engaged the crowd really well from the start," Miller said, thanks to a tight nine-piece band, toe-tapping originals such as the reggae-inspired "I Think I Like You" and a soulful take on Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."

"Jamie really brought it on stage," Gokey said in an interview. "I hope the other bands can come out of their shell like he did."

Not that Flavia or 1703 didn't have plenty of solid moments. Frontwoman Flavia Camila Watson looked like a film noir star during the Red set, stomping around on stage in her heels, while 1703 siblings Rachel and Brandon Dawley brought their dad, Jon, on stage for a bold cover of Neil Young's "Old Man."

"I didn't think I could get chills in 105 degree weather," the Dawleys' former high school music teacher, Penny Wanke, said of 1703's set.

Even though a cash prize was on the line, the event was more about good vibes than cutthroat competition. Flavia and 1703 shirts dominated the first few center rows. Flavia fans cheered on 1703, while 1703 vocalist Rachel Dawley snapped pictures of Flavia's set from the stage. Gokey, Babisch, Bartlett and Miller frequently grooved in their seats.

More than 200,000 votes were cast in the online Land the Big Gig contest, co-sponsored by Tap Milwaukee and Boston Store's Mambo brand. Wednesday's performers had received the most votes out of 120 entrants.

The contest may be over, but your chance to see the finalists isn't. They'll perform free shows at the Bayshore Town Center, 5800 N. Bayshore Drive in Glendale, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and at Boucher Hyundai, 1583 E. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
- Journal Sentinal

*SEE VIDEO at URL

The Voice contestant Jamie Lono stopped by the Rolling Stone studio to chat about the music that inspired him to compete on the show. "The reason I auditioned with [Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"] is because it's a timeless song and his approach to music is kinda no-nonsense, and that's the approach that I take to my music," says Lono. "It's just honesty – being genuine and truly believing what you're singing." Lono may have recently been eliminated from The Voice, but he's planning to continue to pursue a career in music. "I want the world to know that I'm not going to stop making music, and you can bet on seeing me in the next couple years on TV."


- Rolling Stone Magazine

Coach Cee Lo Green built arguably the strongest team this season on "The Voice," but unfortunately, he made the Red Zone just a little less red-hot when, during the Battle Rounds, he placed adorable sandwich-maker Jamie Lono in the ring with an "American Idol" veteran and early fan favorite, Jamar Rogers. The song chosen for that particular battle, Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is," was a much better fit for Jamar's belty style, and so Jamar emerged victorious. But if Jamie had been pitted against a more suitable opponent, he probably could have gone very far. Many "Voice" fans, myself among them, were quite sad to see Jamie and his amazing technicolor spectacles leave the show so soon.

But Jamie has done quite all right since his premature exit from "The Voice" Season 2. He launched a very successful Kickstarter campaign, so that all those fans eager to hear more music from him could help fund his upcoming album, and he recently stopped by Yahoo! to chat with me and play a few of his soulful, supercool originals. So I have a feeling he won't be going back to the sandwich shop any time soon, and that he'll only be serving up great music from now on. - Yahoo.com

The suburb's latest singing sensation, Jamie Lono, made his debut to a national audience on Monday with his successful audition on NBC's “The Voice.” Lono, 22, of Vernon Hills, sang Johnny Cash's classic “Folsom Prison Blues” and impressed the judges with his original style and soul. - The Daily Herald