A brother and sister from Black Mountain earned “golden tickets” to Hollywood this week, when they teamed up to pass their auditions and advance to the next round of competition on the TV show American Idol.
During the episode that aired March 3, Max Dasher, 18, wowed the celebrity panel of judges with his rendition of “Rock Salt & Nails” by Utah Phillips. A short time later, he surprised them when he also showed up with his guitar to accompany his sister, Laela Dasher, 20, as she sang the John Prine classic “Angel from Montgomery.”
“So it runs in the family, huh?” quipped judge Katy Perry.
The judges made a special request for a duet and they slipped into an impromptu performance of “Rivers & Roads” by The Head and the Heart.
“It’s just magical, separate and together,” judge Lionel Richie said.
Perry wasn’t convinced that Laela Dasher’s vocal range matched her brother’s, but with judge Luke Bryan adding his support the siblings soon were joined by other family members on stage to celebrate the rare two-seat trip to the next level of the competition.
Max Dasher previewed his astonishment with his first words after taking the stage.
“What in the world?” he asked before his solo audition. “This is… Oh, my gosh. This is crazy. What am I doing?
As Perry told him, “You’re tryin’ to live the dream.”