'Little bit of magic': Black Mountain siblings appear on 'American Idol,' advance

A pair of Black Mountain singers were featured on the March 3 episode of “American Idol.”

Both Max Dasher and his sister Laela Dasher advanced to the next round of the singing competition show.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and judged by Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, the show is currently in the audition phase. Competition hopefuls audition with a song in front of the three judges with the hopes of getting at least two of them to say “yes.” At least two “yeses” gets contestants a “golden ticket” to Hollywood to compete in the next round of auditions.

Max Dasher auditioned first, singing “Rock Salt & Nails,” originally by Utah Phillips.

“This is crazy,” Max Dasher said as he walked in front of the judges. “What am I doing?”

As he was performing, the show cut to his sister Laela Dasher outside the room, listening to her brother.

“He sounds incredible,” Laela Dasher said. “I just hope the judges think so.”

Max Dasher finished his performance to applause from all three judges and a standing ovation from Perry.

“You have that sparkle,” Perry said. “It’s the stuff. There’s like an undeniable authenticity. It’s like a gold rush.”

After Max Dasher’s performance, Bryan got up from his seat and walked over to the singer and adjusted his jacket collar and took his guitar off. Bryan instructed him to walk in again, this time trying to shake the nerves off.

“If we can get you to breathe and calm down and understand that you’re pretty damn cool, you’ve got a little bit of magic in you,” Bryan said.

Richie told Max Dasher he looked like James Dean and should have the mantra, “I’m 18 and I look like James Dean.”

Max Dasher received a “yes” from all three judges and advanced to the next round in Hollywood.

Following his audition, he joined his sister Laela Dasher to accompany her on guitar as she sang John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.” Richie gave her a standing ovation while the other two judges applauded her.

After her performance, Perry told the siblings “it’s definitely in the DNA,” but had some concerns about sending her forward.

“Your brother and you have some similarities in delivery,” Perry said. “As far as volume goes, I was hoping for a little bit more and I’m just torn.”

The pair were asked to sing a song together and performed “Rivers and Roads’ by The Head and the Heart.

Richie said the two Dasher siblings were “just magical separate and together,” and gave Laela Dasher a “yes,” as did Bryan. Perry gave her a “no,” but Laela Dasher still advanced to the next round of competition with two “yeses.”

“I don’t know what all you’re going to do next,” Richie said. “But I know I’m going to like it.”

Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley Communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Black Mountain siblings appear on 'American Idol,' get golden tickets