American Idol Contestant Caleb Hawley to Perform at UUFSB Friday

Caleb Hawley is known to fans of American Idol as the guy whose audition had judge Steven Tyler dancing in his seat and singing along.

On Friday night at 8 p.m., Hawley will bring that same musical energy to the stage at Grounds and Sounds, the monthly coffeehouse music night at the . Hawley will share the stage with up-and-coming husband-and-wife duo Barnaby Bright.

Hawley, who as an American Idol contestant to his hometown Hudson, Wisconsin Patch, is also an award-winning songwriter. His compositions have won competitions like the New York Songwriters Circle Contest and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

"While lyrically influenced by observational writers such as Randy Newman and Tom Waits, Hawley is also well known for his outstanding vocal capacity and range," said Christina Morelli of the website NYC Art Scene. "The humble performer captivates audiences with soothing folk tunes in the same manner as James Taylor, and with the next breath blows them away with his powerhouse of soul, likened to that of Stevie Wonder."

Nathan and Becky Bliss, also known as Barnaby Bright, are no stranger to television, either. The acoustically driven, eclectic, husband-and-wife duo has been on shows like ER and Days of our Lives. Their song "If I Came Back as a Song" was the third-place winner in the International Song Writing Competition.

"There’s something so natural and uncontrived about the music and harmonies seeping out of these lyrically-driven folk artists," NYC Art Scene wrote.

Tickets for the show are $12.50 and can be purchased online at www.groundsandsounds.org.