Life after 'Idol' begins for Bryce Larsen

Though Bryce Larsen did not make it past Hollywood week on "American Idol," the Glen Cove-based singer-songwriter says the experience couldn't have been better.

"Every step of the way was actually great," says Larsen, known best as the lead singer from Stealing Jane. "Everybody there was so talented. I thought there would be a lot of people there for a joke, but by the time we reached Hollywood, everyone was really good. It was great jamming with people by the pool and listening to people singing. It's not a matter of people not being talented, but the way they deal with the pressure."

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Larsen admits he didn't deal with the pressure so well, struggling with the lyrics to Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" ("I went to sleep knowing the lyrics, but at breakfast, it was like they fell out of my ear," he says) and getting eliminated on group day. "We didn't have to stop the song," he says, laughing. "But I wasn't surprised when we didn't make it."

Since the competition, Larsen has been on tour, performing songs from his solo album, "Sport of Kings," across the country - from Chicago to Annapolis, Md., including stops in Memphis and Nashville. He plans to continue that, as well as launching a new open mic night at The Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre on Mondays.

"The scene is so spread out," Larsen says. "I want people to start working together again. In traveling, I got to see how connected other scenes are and I wanted that to come back a bit on the Island. I want the night to feel more like a showcase, that the people performing could be going somewhere. I want to give people a reason to stick around."

Bryce Larsen plays The Vibe Lounge, 60B N. Park Ave., Rockville Centre, 516-208-6590, on Monday. Admission is $5.

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