Park Slope’s new karaoke king, Craig Schoenbaum — who took home the top prize of the “Spotlight on Stardom” contest in Times Square this month — is already parlaying his newfound fame into gigs at Manhattan’s legendary clubs with his rock band, Otis.
“It’s like a success story that took eight years,” said the 27-year-old, who will perform with Otis at the Mercury Lounge on March 15. “I have never won anything like this.”
After winning the Feb. 7 contest, Schoenbaum bounced onto the stage of the Spotlight Live karaoke restaurant in a black suit and his lucky Converse sneakers and sang “Mustang Sally.”
For Schoenbaum, who moved to Brooklyn from Newtown, Conn. in 1998, this was not his first singing contest or audition. At the age of 16, he used to ditch school to audition for Broadway shows like “Miss Saigon” and “Les Miserables.” He also tried out for “American Idol” but didn’t make it past the first round.
When Schoenbaum went to audition for the “Spotlight” contest — which is like a small-scale “American Idol” — in November, he felt nervous and decided the best way to perform was to pretend that he had already won.
“When they called my name to be a finalist, it was really bizarre,” he said. “I thought, ‘If I can win this whole thing, then who knows?’ ”
Now, after beating 12 other finalists by picking a song out of a hat — Sublime’s “Santeria” — and singing with professional backup singers and dancers, Schoenbaum won a recording contract with Epic. While details of its release are murky, he’s thrilled to have another shot at stardom.
And he isn’t the only one.
“We are excited to have a hometowner as our first winner,” said Jennifer Worthington, founder of Spotlight Live and creator of the contest. “I am really looking forward to him getting in the recording studio and seeing what happens.”
Schoenbaum’s first run-in with music was at the age of 7, when he saw Michael J. Fox play the guitar in the 1985 film, “Back to the Future.”
“I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.
Now Schoenbaum plays a butterscotch-colored Telecaster electric guitar named “Sweets,” with his five-member band, Otis. Although the Spotlight contest was a solo endeavor, his big win helped bring attention to the band. Since then, they have played a successful show at the Knitting Factory, but Schoenbaum has yet to achieve his goal of playing at Southpaw, the Park Slope club just a few blocks from his home.
Said Schoenbaum, “That’s what inspired me to take the next step.”
Otis will perform at 8 pm on March 15 at Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston St. at Avenue A in Manhattan). Tickets are $10. For more information, call (212) 260-4700 or visit www.mercuryloungenyc.com. For more information about Otis, visit their Web sites at www.myspace.com/otisbluesband and otisrock.net.
