Rock'n Music Idol winners named

Following the completion of three levels of competition in the search for this year's Rock'n Music Idol, the live finale was heldMay 18 outdoors at Rock'nMusic Academy in Middletown. The outdoor show featured performances by the 41 finalists from throughout New Jersey who made it through to the finals out of more than 500 contestants who auditioned for the competition in October.

The professional panel of judges, headed by New Jersey-based executive band manager Marie LaDolcetta, had the difficult task of selecting the winners. In the end, the panel said that all of the instrumental categories were extremely close with a narrow margin of victory in each.

The following contestants were selected as winners of Rock'n Music Idol 2007-2008:

• Guitar, ages 7-11: Carson Greengrove of Rumson.

• Drum, ages 7-11: Kyle Hogan of Franklin Lakes.

• Vocal, ages 7-11: Olivia Fairless of Midland Park.

• Guitar, ages 12-14: Nick Giordano of Oakland.

• Drum, ages 12-14: Mikey Rosen of Manalapan.

• Vocal, ages 12-14: Alyjah Decker of Jackson.

• Guitar, ages 15-17: Matt Douglas of Hazlet.

• Drum, ages 15-17: Andrea Morgan of Middletown.

• Vocal, ages 15-17: Kayla Caffrey of Brick Township.

• Keyboard: Kevin Gluck of Matawan.

• Bass: Jon Cook of Lincroft.

• Vocal/Instrument: Gillian Ober of Colts Neck, Peter Konikowski of Wyckoff and Michelle Staffieri of Toms River.

The grand prize for the winners includes professional recording studio time to write and record an original song which will be produced on CD and a professional photo shoot with photographer Mark Weiss, who established his career as a photographer with the metal/hair bands in the 1980s. He has toured the world with rock icons Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne, and has photographed countless album covers for that era including Twisted Sister's "Stay Hungry" and Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet." Today he continues to shoot cutting edge bands such as Avenged, Sevenfold and Paramore.

In addition to the recording time and photo shoot, three of the Rock'nMusic Idol winners were selected to perform in an opening spot on June 7 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park.

The winners selected were Kayla Caffrey, Peter Konikowski andAlyjah Decker. The show starts at 4 p.m. and is a fundraiser forAmerican RecreationalMilitary Services, which is a group in charge of sending care packages to soldiers in Iraq and assisting the soldiers' families at home. The show will feature local professional acts including Mike Kuhl and the Saturday Night Ride, Drive, Woodfish, and Jon Caspi.

Photos from the Rock'n Music Idol 2007-2008 finale can be viewed online at www.RocknMusicAcademy.com.