Today, we at the Pitch were suddenly made aware of a local singer by the name of Von Smith. What happened was, his mother called and directed us to YouTube videos of him by telling us to search for "Vonatron." According to mumsy, the kid's going to be on The View on Feb. 27 and is one of MTV's "breakout artists for '07," and he's about to sign to a label.
I went to YouTube and found this, a video of him singing at the groundbreaking ceremony of the downtown performing arts center.
I sent it around to coworkers. As Von's shrill, soulful, cherubic coos sounded throughout the hallway issuing from computer speakers, an e-mail discussion of the lad ensued...
>>> Jason Harper 2/13/2007 11:59 AM >>>
Wow. The kid can sing, sure, but he could also fit a grapefruit in his mouth.
>>> Crystal Wiebe 02/13/07 12:00 PM >>>
ugh.
>>> Nadia Pflaum 2/13/2007 12:48 PM >>>
Wow.
No way is fame gonna ruin that kid.
(snort)
>>> Jason Harper 2/13/2007 12:57 PM >>>
After a while, that piercing, overelaborate style of singing evokes, to me, the meandering whine of a well-used industrial appliance of some kind.
>>> Chris Packham 2/13/2007 12:58 PM >>>
I like it when the singer points to each note as he sings it, which this kid does not do enough. How am I supposed to follow along with his interpretive rendition?
>>> Jen Chen 2/13/2007 1:56 PM >>>
Who knew there were so many Von fans? Just saw this letter in Sunday's Star.
Local performer overlookedFor all of The Star's concert coverage, it appears to have missed the real story about the recent Kansas City Symphony Pops Concert's "Songs of Life and Love" with Broadway tenor Mike Eldred.
After a bucolic first half, Conductor Jeff Steinberg introduced the evening's surprise guest, 20-year-old Lee's Summit vocalist Von Smith. Mr. Smith sang "A New Life" from the Broadway show "Jekyll & Hyde" and brought down the house.
Sustained applause was cut off by Eldred re-entering the stage to sing again (a duet with Von, but nonetheless abruptly ending Von's moment).
And, the worst cut of all, at the end of the concert, two choirs, the symphony, its conductor, and Eldred all took bows, and Von Smith - whose performance was the high moment of the evening - wasn't even reintroduced.
The symphony owes Von one.
Carol Martin
Lee's Summit
>>> Jason Harper 2/13/2007 2:05 PM >>>
This is part of the same cultural phenomenon that gave rise to the Claymates -- suburban America's love for a soul-singing cute little whiteboy pop idol.
>>> Chris Packham 2/13/2007 2:08 PM >>>
What ever happened to Rick Astley?
>>>Megan Metzger 2/13/2007 2:18 PM >>>
a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkZz2iZrk0" target="_blank">"Never Gonna Give You Up" totally reminds me of summers at Fairway Swimming Pool. As does "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz and "Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red.
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LOL...I just read through these comments and saw a post from Jason...lol no one agrees with your taunts! This guy is amazing...Simon knows nada...but i like him...
Hmmm...ok, so now he's on American Idol, let's see if he does smash all the other singers or if he should've stayed out of the pool.
2007 is the year of breakthrough performances:
jennifer hudson, rinko kikuchi, and now, here is von lee smith. he is a star undoubtedly.
Fantastic No hype, no mean judges! Just pure raw talent discovered. Kudos to Ms O'Donnell. Good luck young man, with your God given gift.
Comment by Marie — February 27, 2007 @
Amazing, Talented, and Gutsy...You will go far....Look out World, a star is born....!
This kid has a voice, and I'm sure he will go far. Thank you Rosie for giving him a chance to share it with "The View" viewers.
May good things come Jon's way?
He's a star...
Good luck and remember your roots and the little people who love you too....
I agree with all the positive comments above. I just hope that fame doesn't hurt the sweet nature of this young man. What a nice person! I can't help but imagine my husband of 20 years singing that song to me that he sang on The View(I can dream)!
Von
It was a pleasure to hear you sing, you go gurl!!
If your not gay you should be, thats what makes us stand out from the others,great in all things we do ...LOL...
howdy folks! i can sing better believe me, ha! just kidding. VON SMITH rules! You go boy.
Just happened on The View while the the Smith kid was on and he blew me right out of the house! Yowza!!
Von Smith has just made a farce out of this years American Idol series.
If he was on, the rest of this years crop of 'maybee's' could all go home and save us all the hours of suffering.
No matter who wins AI this year, Von Smith could out sing, out perform and out sell any of them.
So what will we have then, weeks of AI finalists struggling with music they can't perform and the endless drama of picking the best of this years batch.
With out Von Smith there, it's all a waste of time.
saw the view this am and almost missed him cause i had to get to the office. so glad i saw this kid --a real star. he will go all the way to the top in short time. I cant wait to see him on Good Morning America or Good Morning Texas!!!!
you great !!
good for Rosie to get him on the show..
Fantastic No hype, no mean judges! Just pure raw talent discovered. Kudos to Ms O'Donnell. Good luck young man, with your God given gift.
As Rosie O'Donnel said, 'He's better than anyone on American Idol! Exactly my thoughts before she said it. Awesome!!!
I had tears in my eyes at the delight Rosie O'Donnell showed for this singer's wonderful talent! She is so 'on the mark' with his talent. Wow!
On The View, as far as critiquing his singing, he displayed in one song that he can sing just about anything! I'm am so thrilled for this guy!
I'm sure he will go far and SOON! I wish I could be a part of the people who are no doubt now chomping at the bit to push him towards stardom.
And to think...he didn't have to endure the humiliating experience of Simon Cowell (even though he would have received accolades I'm sure from Simon)! Now he can rise faster and go further than the winner of American Idol (I wonder he didn't apply).
Good luck and I'm a huge fan now!
VON...
He is amazing.
How many male vocalists do you know that can get to all the different pitches he can.
WOW.
Just saw Von on The View, his spirit is riveting. Looking forward to his first album.
wow... just watched the View and saw this kid....better than any American Idol right now trying out.
Wow, this kid is awesome. I just caught his apperance on "The View" and this soft spoken young man has a powerful singing voice. I love his voice and he is definitely going to be a big star!
Do not pass "GO," proceed directly to Broadway, which I'm sure Rosie O'Donnell can help with (Von appeared on "The View" on Mar. 27). This is the kind of larger-than-life talent that doesn't always translate well on the small screen but is perfect for the big stage! I'm sure he will go far!
Von has been paying his dues for years, and now the world is taking notice. His performance is always draw dropping and when you hear his recoridngs you will apreciate his subtle nuance not found in his live performance. Congrats to the new kid on the block. Im proud of You!!!
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