MASHANTUCKET, Conn.--()--It’s not uncommon for people to “win big” at Foxwoods, North America’s largest resort casino – but for native Bostonian, John Flanagan, hitting the jackpot took on an entirely different meaning when he and his Nashville-based glam rock band took home the top honors at the “Wonder of it All” finals, held on Saturday, February 27 at the legendary Fox Theater.
“This is the most exciting day of my life”
Competing against nine other bands, ranging from jazz-pop to funk to a cappella, 22 year-old John Flanagan channeled his inner-Freddie Mercury to deliver a memorable performance and a hyper-modernized take on the iconic “Wonder of it All” jingle, originally crooned by American jazz musician John Pizzarelli.
“This is the most exciting day of my life,” said lead singer John Flanagan. “To be recognized by a place like Foxwoods for doing something that we love is a great honor, and we’re really excited to embark on this journey with them. Having our music featured in commercials for North America’s largest resort casino is beyond our wildest dreams.”
In addition to being the new voice of Foxwoods, Flanagan and his band received a year-long promotional contract and a $25,000 grand prize package, including top-of-the-line music equipment, a Foxwoods VIP Package, studio time, an advertising schedule, and more. The finalists performed in front of a live audience and a panel of celebrity commentators including basketball luminaries Jo Jo White and Daryl Dawkins, CFO of Def Jam Records, Joe Borrino, NYC’s DJ Big Premiere, Celtics Dancers, and Fox 61's Jeff Valin, who emceed the event. Second place went to Boston-based a cappella group Redline.
Boston-born Flanagan has spent the majority of his burgeoning career perfecting his theatrical performance style, most recently at Nashville’s Belmont University, where he met and began collaborating with fellow band members Ryan Ochsner (Lead Guitar), Daniel Shifflett (Bass Guitar), Jared Mitchell (Background Vocals), Ross Bridgeman (Keys), and Mike Redmond (Percussion), while studying Commercial Vocal Performance in the university’s intensive music program. No stranger to the stage, Flanagan moved to Nashville in 2005 and immediately began playing to audiences of 1200 as lead vocalist of rock outfit, The Gilly; however, seizing the opportunity for growth, Flanagan left The Gilly in pursuit of corporate gigs, and has played venues from Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma to Seaside, Oregon. In the past year Flanagan has focused his energies while off the road on stocking his arsenal of original material both independently and with co-writers. Currently in production, his 6-song EP is due for release later this year.
The search for the new voice of Foxwoods began in November 2009, when a call for submissions resulted in hundreds of hopefuls recording and submitting their takes on the legendary jingle on www.bethewonder.com. The top 50 online vote recipients were then narrowed down to ten by a team of Foxwoods marketing and advertising executives, who also made up the judging panel the evening of the finals. The live audience also played a role in determining a winner of the talent search, thanks to a text messaging campaign that made up for 25% of the voting process.
About Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods
North America’s largest casino, Foxwoods Resort Casino® is located in the rolling hills of southeastern Connecticut and is easily accessible from Boston, New York, Hartford, and Providence. Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Foxwoods features six casinos with more than 7,200 slots, 380 table games, the only WPT World Poker Room™ in New England, High Stakes Bingo, and Ultimate Race Book. There are 1,416 guest rooms and suites in three hotels, more than 30 restaurants, a luxurious spa, more than 50,000 square feet of premium meeting and event space, 24 retail shops, and five entertainment venues, including the 1,400-seat Fox Theatre. Conveniently located adjacent to Foxwoods is Lake of Isles™, featuring two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Rees Jones and a state-of-the-art Golf Academy. In May 2008, the MGM Grand at Foxwoods® debuted, adding 825 luxurious guest rooms, 115,000 square feet of meeting space, the 4,000-seat MGM Grand Theater, a 21,000-square-foot spa, and more dining, retail, and gaming facilities, bolstering Foxwoods’ preeminence as the East Coast’s ultimate casino resort destination. Foxwoods supports responsible gaming, and plays a leadership role in the Connecticut Council of Problem Gambling, of which it was a founding entity. For more information, call 1-800-FOXWOODS or visit www.foxwoods.com.
About the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
The Mashantucket Pequots are a native Algonquin people in southeastern Connecticut, having endured centuries of conflict, survival, and continuity on and around one of America’s oldest Indian reservations, established in 1666. As the first native people within the borders of the continental United States to suffer attempted genocidal massacre by Puritan Colonists in 1637, the Pequots and their repatriation is an unprecedented story of restoration exhibited in detail at the Tribe’s world-class Museum and Research Center (www.pequotmuseum.org). Today the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation owns the largest resort casino in the world, Foxwoods Resort Casino (www.foxwoods.com), along with several other economic ventures including the Lake of Isles Golf Course (www.lakeofisles.com), a joint-venture partnership establishing the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and Foxwoods Development Company dedicated to world-class resort development throughout the United States and Caribbean. All together, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation remains one of the State of Connecticut’s highest tax payers and largest employers. Likewise, the Tribe provides significant financial contributions to state and local nonprofit organizations that support neighboring communities.
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