So you think you can yodel
Sydney's closet yodellers: rejoice! No longer must you ululate in secret, for the Löwenbräu Keller is holding their So You Think You Can Yodel competition this month with a total of $5,000 in cash up for grabs. Andrew P Street warms up his voice to speak with event coordinator Hayley Jones
Was this your baby? Well, it was the idea of a couple of us here [at publicity firm Liquid Ideas] and a couple of people at the Löwenbräu as well: it's been talked about for a while. And now it's happening!
Why yodelling, aside from that it's the most beautiful sound that a human can make? Absolutely - I'm glad you agree with me on that! Well, the Löwenbräu is a Bavarian-themed restaurant and yodeling has a history in a number of countries including Germany, and it's something the people at the Löwenbräu thought would be a little bit quirky and fun, which is what the venue's all about...
...and presumably an easier sell than So You Think You Can Play The Alpinehorn? Absolutely. But that's a nice idea. You don't charge for that? But yes, we've got a number of entrants; I think initially people thought ‘Ohmigod, I have to be a professional yodeler to even enter' so we've been telling people that no, you don't. It's about having fun and getting up there and participating. You could just do a Britney Spears song and throw some yodeling in there. But there's a mixture: there are some actual country music singers through to people just having a crack at it to win the money - and there are prizes on the night for best costume and funniest performance and that sort of thing. There are a number of criteria the judges will judge on.
Do some people take it very seriously? Oh yeah, I can't wait to see it. There will definitely be some differences between the competitors, but that will make it even more fun. And America's yodelling sweetheart is a 13-year-old girl named Taylor Ware, and when she was nine she won the Yahoo yodel challenge, which is something they're looking at doing here. So they're bringing her out, and it just so happens that it coincides with this. So she's a guest star performer on the 11th July heat. And she's gorgeous, this little blonde 13-year-old girl with the most amazing voice.
And aside from the prize money, we presume that worldwide fame and yodeling fortune would inevitable follow for the eventual winner? Definitely. These people could be the next big stars. The yodeling renaissance is just around the corner - and we have our finger on the pulse with that.
The second heat happens at the Löwenbräu Keller on Fri 11 July.