The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

Former Panther rocked on ‘The Voice’

City+College+alumnus+Jeremy+Briggs+joined+Team+Shakira+on+the+NBC+singing+competition+show+%E2%80%98The+Voice.%E2%80%99+Photo+Courtesy+of+NBC%0A
City College alumnus Jeremy Briggs joined Team Shakira on the NBC singing competition show ‘The Voice.’ Photo Courtesy of NBC

At City College, the baseball diamond is a place where hard-working students become devoted athletes. It is also where an athlete named Jeremy Briggs stepped off home plate and into his music career. After joining a local Sacramento band as its vocalist, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to further his career by auditioning for NBC’s “The Voice.”

Although Briggs qualified for the show and appeared in the first few episodes, he was eliminated on the first “battle duet” March 18. He may not have hit a home run on “The Voice,” but Briggs remains a star in many City College memories.

While attending City College from 2006-2008, Briggs played a large role in City College’s baseball program. According to head baseball coach Derek Sullivan, Briggs was first baseman and designated hitter on the baseball team for three years and took on the responsibility of coaching for one year.

During these years, Briggs says he majored in government and took a few recording engineering classes.

Briggs says music has always played a large role in his life.

“[My] parents always had classic rock blaring in the house. [I] got heavy dose of Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and the Stones,” Briggs says. “[My] grandfather played trumpet at McClatchy High School in the 1950s, and [my] uncle played lead guitar in a metal/hard rock band in the ’90s.”

Briggs’ passion for music was apparent throughout his time at City College.

“As long as I’ve known him—about nine years—he’s showed a skill and interest in music,” says Sullivan, remembering when he was a mentor to Briggs.

Briggs had just started City College’s baseball program during Sullivan’s first year back as a coach.

But when it came down to it, Briggs says he had to choose what was best for him and his future.

“I was at a crossroads,” says Briggs. “Do I continue to coach baseball at Sac City College or chase my dream of singing and playing music for a living? I knew in order to do this, I had to stop coaching and jump headfirst into my music career.”

The manifestation ‘elephant in the room’ can be used for disorders other than erectile dysfunction. generic tadalafil cipla Visit as many online medicine stores as buy cialis you can to find the right one. He was an accomplished athlete early on and excelled in baseball, basketball and football at Birmingham’s John lowest cost of viagra Carroll Catholic High School. Worry is a online cialis wish you don’t want. Briggs took that leap into music with Relic 45, a Sacramento rock ‘n’ roll band. They have played at Harlow’s Restaurant and Nightclub in Midtown and were once a featured band at Concert in the Park.

Relic 45 was made up of Briggs (vocals/guitar), Stephen Larsen (lead guitar), Andrew Barnhart (bass) and Zack Kampf (drums). According to the Relic 45 website, the group was known for taking the elements of rock ’n’ roll and making their own interpretations of songs.

“Rock ‘n’ roll has been dead for decades. I want to be part of a new generation of artists to bring it back,” says Briggs.

Briggs did bring rock ‘n’ roll back with his song “Bad Company” in his blind audition for “The Voice”. During the blind audition, each coach has a small amount of time to decide if the contestant’s voice will benefit their team and to turn around in his or her seat to face the contestant. While artist Usher and Adam Levine did not turn their seats, Latin artist Shakira and country singer Blake Shelton did, thinking Briggs to be a contender worth fighting for.

“You have 90 seconds to try to make four giants in the music industry turn their chairs with nothing but your voice. [It was a] very surreal moment in my career. I’m grateful for the opportunity,” says Briggs.

After some banter between Shakira and Shelton, Briggs chose to be on Team Shakira for the competition. His friends and fellow coaches expected Briggs to be successful in his audition.

“[I was] not surprised at all. All his friends had been asking him to try out for those shows for a while,” says Sullivan. “He should do well. He knows how to work hard, learn, get better and compete.”

Briggs went into “The Voice’s” “battle duet” round with fellow contestant Clarissa Serna singing Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice.”

During the battle round, the music star coaches choose two team members to compete against each other by singing the same song in front of the live studio audience. Once the duet has ended, the coach must choose which of the two singers will advance to the knockout round.

In the March 18 round, the coaches were split on which contestant to choose to send to the knockout round. While Blake Shelton gave credit to Briggs’ ability to hit the high notes and stay on key with Serna, Shakira ultimately decided to send Briggs home.

“I think he did better than [Clarissa Serna],” says Marisa Bustamante, a fan of “The Voice” and a City College dance student. “After watching him [on The Voice], I would definitely go see him live next time he plays in Sacramento.”

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