Oklahoma Rock Newsblog

Matt Breitzke, a 28-year-old welder from Bixby, failed to advance to the Top 12 on American Idol: Season 8. He sang Tonic’s “If You Could Only See” on Wednesday’s show, but failed to receive enough votes to move on.

Breitzke still has a shot to make the show in the wild card round next week. The wild card slots are believed to be picked by the judges.

An article about his family, work and music background from The Tulsa World after the jump.

Mr. Sunshine
Local ‘Idol’ contestant already has a fan base
By CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer

If Matt Breitzke were to win season eight of “American Idol,” it would be a victory for regular guys.

“This is a venue where just everyday, normal people get an extraordinary shot,” he said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

Like the everyday, beer-drinking folks who hang out at 71st Street Depot, a bar where Breitzke sang on several occasions before his “Idol” adventure.

It’s a smoky, laid-back bar where buckets of Coors Light sell for $10 and a sign on the wall reads: “Hippies use back door.”

There, the 28-year-old welder would sing “Ain’t No Sunshine” (his “Idol” audition song) and other blues-rock hits to an enthusiastic crowd after work. He only performed every now and then, on account of his day job and his 3-year-old son, Travis.

“Everybody loves him here,” said Jessica Meyer, the bar’s manager.

His performances didn’t always go over well, Breitzke said. “It took me a few tries of getting booed out of bars to get good at it.”

The self-taught singer and guitarist has come a long way since his first open-mic night attempts at what was then-Uncle Bentley’s Pub & Grill in Tulsa.

He’ll perform on “American Idol” Wednesday at 7 p.m. and find out Thursday night whether he’ll make it from the show’s top 36 to the final 12 — turning music from a hobby into a career and shot at superstardom.

The chance couldn’t have come at a better time for the Breitzke family, said his friend and former welding partner, Lonnie Hutton. Breitzke was laid off from his welding job shortly before Christmas, said Hutton, who helped Breitzke find some work to get through the holidays, but it’s a tough economy for job hunters these days.

“I told him, maybe this meant something — maybe this was supposed to happen,” Hutton said.

Breitzke is optimistic; his job loss was “just how it goes, the way the economy is right now.”

“Hopefully, this is just a kick in the pants to go in the right direction.”

About Breitzke

His wife, Shelly, teaches third grade at Peters Elementary in Union Public Schools. He grew up in Hobart, Ind., and came to Tulsa several years ago to attend flight school at Spartan College of Aeronautics. He worked for several years as a cashier at Creek Nation Casino, then became a welder.

Before “Idol,” Breitzke’s biggest singing gigs were at Crow Creek Tavern and his pal Hutton’s backyard barbecues. He was a finalist for both the “Gimme the Mike” and Darryl Starbird’s “Cars and Stars Idol” contests in recent years.

“We used to make him sing for us in the break room,” said Melissa Reeder, Breitzke’s former co-worker at Creek Nation Casino. “When I first saw him on ‘American Idol,’ I just freaked out.”

Though Breitzke’s been singing and playing guitar since the fifth grade, he has no formal musical training, Hutton said — just natural talent. Country and blues are his favorites to sing — the Ian Moore number Breitzke sang to crack the top 36 is actually Hutton’s and his wife’s “song.”

“It’s kind of surreal,” Hutton said. “I mean, he’s in my fave five (calling circle) on my phone.”

Heather Doss laughed as she remembered how Breitzke sang “Happy Birthday” to her at work a few years ago. She was his supervisor for several years at Creek Nation Casino, until he told her he wanted to quit and try for a music career. That was before Travis was born, before he became a welder.

“He always wanted to sing,” Doss said. Some nights after work, a group from the casino would head to Mad Murphy’s Irish Pub or the Crow Creek — and occasionally, they’d get to hear Breitzke sing and play guitar.

“I don’t know anyone that didn’t like him,” Doss said.

He’ll face fierce competition this season, critical judge Simon Cowell and a new format that some fans fear could leave behind contestants such as Breitzke, who didn’t get as much screen time as some of the show’s drama queens and oddballs. Only three singers from each group of 12 will move ahead each week. Three others will get a shot at joining the final 12 through a last-chance wild-card round.

Another challenge might be those choreographed song-and-dance routines the contestants do each week to fill time on the show — not his strong suit, he admitted.

“I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m not much of a dancer,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll look awkward out there — but it’s OK.”

If Breitzke makes the top 12 or goes even further — chalk one up for the regular guys. The crowd at 71st Street Depot will be among those rooting for him.

“He’s really, really down to earth,” said Meyer of the 71st Street Depot. “I know a lot of people are watching him out here.”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am and is filed under on TV, Matt Breitzke. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.