Anyone who attended Student Activities Council’s November coffeehouse event will recognize Caleb Hawley’s name.

Actually, anyone who watched American Idol this season will, too.

After performing on campus last fall, the 25-year-old musician took the leap and auditioned for American Idol. After a memorable audition in which he was musically assisted by Steven Tyler, Hawley made it to the Vegas round, where he unfortunately was cut.

Still, I caught up with the musician a few weeks ago to talk about his experience.

Q: Why did you decide to audition for American Idol?
A: It’s pretty much the largest stage in the world, and I would have felt guilty if I wouldn’t have even given it a shot.

Q: How was your first audition with the judges?
A: It was definitely nerve-racking. It’s weird and surreal to know that you have the complete attention of Jennifer Lopez for a few minutes; I mean, I never get attention from girls!

Q: Did you enjoy getting to know the other contestants?
A: As far as Hollywood and Vegas go – I had a wonderful time. I met a lot of great friends and musicians and am having a lot of fun knowing the entire cast this season.

Q: Any predictions or favorites for this season?
A: As far as favorites go, for guys – Paul (McDonald) and Casey (Abrams), for girls – Pia (Toscano) and Lauren (Alaina).

Q: So what’s up next for you?
A: I’m heading over to the UK for my first international tour in May, then I’m pretty much touring non-stop until my car dies – riding the wave while I can, I guess. I’m also writing songs for a new album and just having a lot of fun meeting people all over the country.

Caleb Hawley currently has three albums available at www.calebhawley.com or on iTunes. If you didn’t see him at Mercyhurst, check out his work and take the opportunity to catch him live when possible.