Guitar Center Announces King of the Blues Champion!

Kirby Kelly Crowned America’s Top Undiscovered Blues Guitarist in World’s Largest Guitar Competition!

On Thursday November 12th in front of a capacity crowd at House of Blues in Hollywood CA, Kirby Kelly of Sherman, Texas beat out more than 4,000 guitarists to be crowned Guitar Center’s 2009 King of the Blues.

Kirby Kelly competed against four other undiscovered blues guitarists from all across the country to a panel of celebrity judges that included Jimmy Vivino of the Tonight Show Band, Elliot Easton of The Cars, accomplished session musician Blues Saraceno, blues legend Hubert Sumlin of Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, renowned blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Grammy Award winner Pete Anderson, Steve Lukather of Toto, Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World Brad Tolinski, and Dweezil Zappa.

Watch video footage of Kirby Kelly’s performance at The House of Blues in Los Angeles, on BandWeblogs.com:

Hosted by Grammy-Nominated blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the event was a celebration of guitar and the music (The Blues) that has defined and influenced generations of musicians and all of today’s popular music.

Grammy Award winning producer and guitarist Pete Anderson kicked-off the show with a set of red-hot blues, which was followed by the King of the Blues final competition where each of five contestants fronted a vintage black tuxedo-clad live band lead by Pete Anderson.

Performing to a live rendition of 1 of the 25 official King of the Blues backing-tracks, the five contestants also were required to perform a two-minute solo-performance on a Gibson acoustic guitar to display their ability to master two major aspects of the guitar.

Following the contestants’ performances Guitar Center’s King of the Blues Finals culminated with an electrifying performance by blues great Joe Bonamassa, who invited a series of surprise special guest musicians to join him on-stage for an exclusive collaboration which included Hubert Sumlin, Steve Lukather, Jimmy Vivino, Elliot Easton, and Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Kelly’s victory was his crowning moment on the long road to being named Guitar Center’s King of the Blues. A life-long blues player, Kirby Kelly has been playing the blues for his family and friends for years.

Entered by a friend in the King of the Blues competition, Kelly beat out over 4,000 other guitarists in five rounds of grueling competition. After his victory, Kelly was awarded an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, along with a Gibson ‘59 Les Paul reissue guitar, a $2,500 Levi’s® shopping spree, a Marshall Vintage Modern 50 watt half stack, a Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal, a feature in Guitar World magazine, worldwide distribution of their music in iTunes and more, plus endorsement deals from Ernie Ball, Marshall Amplification, VOX Amplification and Gibson. Additional regional, district and local prize packages were also awarded, thanks to the generous support of Gibson Guitar, Levi’s®, Ernie Ball, Marshall, Boss, VOX, Guitar World Magazine and TuneCore, all of whom are proud partners of Guitar Center’s King of the Blues.

Like Guitar Center’s other talent search competitions – the legendary Drum-Off (now in its 21st year), and the recently launched On-Stage, King of the Blues is part of Guitar Center’s ongoing mission to provide emerging artists and musicians with career-altering opportunities and vehicles to achieve success.

Introduced in 2006, King of the Blues is more than just a competition to find the most technically skilled players. The King of the Blues is designed to seek out the most passionate, innovative and authentic guitar players and give them a shot at stardom. For example, previous King of the Blues Winner, Aaron Loesch, was invited to perform at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in front of over 25,000 attendees.

Some of today’s most iconic and groundbreaking artists, including BB King, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Hubert Sumlin have participated at past King of the Blues events.

With “The Blues” being the foundation for nearly all of today’s popular music, the search for the nation’s greatest undiscovered blues guitarist is has consistently unearthed a goldmine of unsigned talent, some of whom are destined to become tomorrow’s legends.

Guitar Center Official Website

King of the Blues Competition

Guitar Center Announces District Final Winners of World’s Largest Blues Guitar Contest

Winners Move on to Regional Finals on October 21 in Brooklyn, Nashville, Arlington Heights, Dallas, and Hollywood!

Grand Finals in Hollywood on November 12, 2009

Featuring Joe Bonamassa, Pete Anderson, and the Top Five Undiscovered Blues Guitar Players in the Country!

Last Wednesday, the top 24 undiscovered blues guitarists in the nation were selected to move on to the King of the Blues Regional Finals, moving one step closer to being crowned Guitar Center’s King of the Blues and $25,000 cash. On October 21, 2009, these winners will once again go head-to-head, competing to move on to The King of the Blues Grand Finals scheduled for November 12th in Hollywood.

Tickets are currently on sale for the King of the Blues Grand Finals, which are scheduled for November 12 at the House of Blues Sunset in Hollywood, CA. In addition to showcasing the top five finalists as they compete for the King of the Blues crown and $25,000 cash, the King of the Blues Grand Finals will also feature performances by renowned blues guitarist and Gibson artist Joe Bonamassa, who has been awarded “Best Blues Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine for the past three years, as well as Grammy Award winner Pete Anderson. Tickets for this very special event are just $20, and are available at Ticketmaster.com or the HOB box office.

Like Guitar Center’s other talent search competitions – the legendary Drum-Off (now in its 21st year), and the recently launched On-Stage – King of the Blues is part of Guitar Center’s ongoing mission to provide emerging artists and musicians with career-altering opportunities and vehicles to achieve success.

Introduced in 2006, King of the Blues is more than just a competition to find the most technically skilled players. King of the Blues is designed to seek out the most passionate, innovative and authentic guitar players and give them a shot at stardom.

For example, the winner of Guitar Center’s 2007 King of the Blues, Aaron Loesch, was invited to perform at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in front of over 25,000 attendees.

How It Works:

Each contestant must perform live to 1 of 25 original backing tracks, developed by Grammy Award winning producer, Pete Anderson, which have been made available for free download at www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues

Contestants may bring and use any 6, 7, or 12 string acoustic or electric guitar, lap steel or pedal steel guitar, plus any audio pedal effects that can be set-up in a 5 minute time limit, all of which will be plugged into a selection of amplifiers provided by Guitar Center.

District competitions took place on September 30 where one winner was chosen from each of 24 districts. Those winners now move up to regionally hosted semi-finals (5 locations), culminating in the final King of the Blues Grand Finals competition in Los Angeles on November 12th.

Guitar Center’s King of the Blues champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, along with a Gibson Guitar ’59 Les Paul reissue guitar, a $2,500 Levi’s® shopping spree, a Marshall Vintage Modern 50 watt half stack, a Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal, a feature in Guitar World magazine, worldwide distribution of their music in iTunes and more, plus endorsement deals from Ernie Ball, Marshall Amplification, VOX Amplification and Gibson. Additional regional, district and local prize packages will also be awarded, thanks to the generous support of Gibson Guitar, Levi’s®, Ernie Ball, Marshall, Boss, VOX, Guitar World Magazine and TuneCore, all of whom are proud partners of Guitar Center’s King of the Blues.

UPCOMING 2009 COMPETITION DATES:

Regional finals: October 21st
Grand Finals: November 12th

Some of today’s most iconic and groundbreaking artists, including BB King, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Hubert Sumlin have participated at past King of the Blues events.

With “the Blues” being the foundation for nearly all of today’s popular music, the search for the nation’s greatest undiscovered blues guitarist is expected to unearth a goldmine of unsigned talent, some of whom are destined to become tomorrow’s legends.

For the latest information, go to:

Guitar Center – King Of The Blues Official Website

The Search For The Nation’s Greatest Undiscovered Blues Guitar Player is Back!

World’s Largest Guitar Competition Offers Grand Prize Worth Over $35,000, Including $25,000 Cash, Gear and Product Endorsements.

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the return of King of the Blues, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered blues guitar player.

With sign-ups launching July 1, 2009, Guitar Center’s King of the Blues will feature competitions in over 200 Guitar Center locations across the country, culminating with the Grand Finals in Los Angeles this November.

In addition to showcasing the top five finalists, the King of the Blues Grand Finals will also feature performances by renowned blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa and Grammy Award winner Pete Anderson.

King of the Blues is part of Guitar Center’s ongoing mission to provide emerging artists and musicians with career-altering opportunities and vehicles to achieve success. Other Guitar Center programs include Drum-Off and On-Stage.

Now in its 21st year, Guitar Center’s Drum-Off has been a launching pad for numerous professional drummers, including Cora “CC” Dunham (Prince), Eric Moore II (Suicidal Tendencies), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z) and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta). In 2008 Guitar Center also added On-Stage, a search for America’s next great rock band, with close to 8,000 bands vying for an opening slot on Mötley Crüe’s 30+ city North American arena tour. The winning band, The Last Vegas, not only toured with Mötley Crüe, but was also awarded a record deal with Eleven Seven Music and a management contract with Tenth Street Entertainment (Mötley’s management company).

Watch video trailer: King Of The Blues 2009:

Introduced in 2006, Guitar Center’s King of the Blues is designed to offer similar life-changing opportunities for unsigned guitarists. More than just a competition to find the most technically skilled players, King of the Blues is designed to seek out the most passionate, innovative and authentic undiscovered guitar players and give them a shot at stardom.

Some of today’s most iconic and groundbreaking artists, including BB King, John Mayer, The Black Crowes and Kenny Wayne Shepherd have participated at past King of the Blues events, and the winner of Guitar Center’s 2007 King of the Blues, Aaron Loesch, was invited to perform at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in front of over 25,000 attendees.

With “the Blues” being the foundation for nearly all of today’s popular music, the search for the nation’s greatest undiscovered blues guitarist is expected to unearth a goldmine of unsigned talent, some of whom are destined to become tomorrow’s legends.

“The Blues defines today’s music—from Robert Johnson to Jack White and B.B. King to John Mayer,” notes Dustin Hinz, Manager of Event Marketing and Promotions for Guitar Center. “By tapping into this rich and deep musical art form, our goal is to find true original talent—not clones of great guitarists, but rather great guitarists in their own right who deserve a place alongside the legends.”

Guitar Center’s King of the Blues champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, a featured spot in a Guitar Center ad campaign, along with a Gibson ’59 Les Paul reissue guitar, a $2,500 Levis shopping spree, a Marshall Vintage Modern 50 watt half stack, a Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal, a feature in Guitar World magazine, worldwide distribution of their music in iTunes and more, plus endorsement deals from Ernie Ball, Marshall, Vox and Gibson. Additional regional, district and local prize packages will also be awarded, thanks to the generous support of Gibson, Levi’s, Ernie Ball, Marshall, Boss, Vox, Guitar World and Tunecore, all of whom are proud supporters of Guitar Center’s King of the Blues.

How It Works:

Sign-ups for the preliminary rounds of the King of the Blues competition begin July 1, 2009, and run on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, with a maximum of 30 registrants per store.

Contestants must sign up with a Guitar Center associate at their local store — no phone or online sign-ups are available.

Each contestant will perform live to 1 of 25 original backing tracks, developed by Grammy Award winning producer, Pete Anderson. All backing tracks are available for free download at www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues Contestants may bring and use any 6, 7, or 12 string acoustic or electric guitar, lap steel or pedal steel guitar, plus any audio pedal effects that can be set-up in a 5 minute time limit, all of which will be plugged into a selection of amplifiers provided by Guitar Center.

Local competitions start August 20, 2009 in all 214 Guitar Center locations nationwide.

One winner from each store will be chosen to move up to district competitions (24 locations), followed by regionally hosted semi-finals (6 locations) and culminating in the final King of the Blues Grand Finals competition in Los Angeles in November, where the grand finalists will perform in front of a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges, sharing the stage with Joe Bonamassa, who was named Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine’s readership in their annual Reader’s Choice Awards for 2008, and whose incendiary playing has resulted in numerous albums in Billboard’s Top 10 blues chart.

COMPETITION DATES 2009:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Store Prelims: August 20th, August 27th, September 3rd

Store finals: September 10th

District finals: September 30th

Regional finals: October 21st

Grand Finals: November 2009

For more information about the competition, rules and terms, go to:

Guitar Center Official Website

King of the Blues Competition

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An Evening of Dialogue and Music with guitar legend Dick Dale. Scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2009 at the Guitar Center in Fountain Valley, CA, the evening will focus on Dale’s historic role in the evolution of rock guitar, the secrets behind his technique, and his long-standing relationship with Fender® Musical Instruments. Presented in conjuncture with Fender® Musical Instruments and Dean Markey, the event is free and open to the public.

Watch video Dick Dale & The Del Tones “Misirlou” 1963:

Dick Dale on amazon.com

Known worldwide as the “King of the Surf Guitar,” Dick Dale will be forever known as the man behind the epic instrumental, “Miserlou.” Dale is largely credited as having “invented” surf guitar, launching an entire genre of American music. His first full-length album, ‘Surfer’s Choice’ (Deltone Records, 1962), recorded with his band The Del-Tones, led to frequent appearances in movies and on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

A pioneer known for his technical achievements, Dale introduced the modern reverb which would give the guitar a wet splashy sound along with his trademark machine-gun-style tremolo picking – both trademark elements of the California sound.

Dale also served as co-designer to Leo Fender when, after having been asked to test drive one of the first Fender® Stratocaster® guitars and some new amps and speakers, the artist blew through several dozen amps and speakers that literally caught on fire from his playing. The resulting partnership led to the creation of a super-powered line of Fender® gear, sparking a revolution in live and recorded pop music in the 50s and 60s that is still influential today.

Guitar Center’s mission is to provide aspiring musicians of every playing style and background with support-based programs that vastly improve their potential for becoming successful professional musicians. Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, Guitar Center Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes. Past Guitar Center Sessions have featured music legends such as Slash, RZA, Pete Rock, Dave Mustaine and Joe Satriani. Other Guitar Center programs designed to foster up-and-coming musicians include Guitar Center’s Drum-Off, the world’s largest drum competition, and Guitar Center On-Stage, a program developed to organically scout and launch unsigned artists by providing career altering opportunities through partnerships with some of the world’s greatest artists.

Join us as the legendary Dick Dale shares experiences and insights from his distinguished career.

“All Hail Dick Dale – the original guitar hero.” – GQ Magazine, March 2009

Thursday, March 5, 2009 @ 7 pm
Guitar Center Fountain Valley
18361 Euclid St.
(714) 241-8186

Free to the public. Limited capacity.

Dick Dale Official Website

Guitar Center Sessions Official Website

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An Evening of Dialogue and Insight with Grammy nominated blues/rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Scheduled for Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at the Guitar Center in Pasadena, CA, the evening will focus on Kenny as he shares career highlights, the secrets behind his technique, songwriting, tone and talks in depth about his new Fender Signature Series Stratocaster, designed exclusively by KWS.

The evening, co-presented by Fender® Musical Instruments, is free and open to the public.

Watch Kenny Wayne Shepherd video from NAMM 2008:

Kenny Wayne Shepherd on amazon.com

Renowned blues/rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd stormed onto the music scene as a teenager with a fiery style and virtuosity seldom seen before. Since then he has had a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles and holds the record for the longest running album on the Billboard Blues Charts with “Trouble Is….”.

Shepherd has been nominated for four Grammy awards, received two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson awards, the Blues Foundation’s Keeping The Blues Alive Award, and a Blues Music Award among many other accolades.

He has sold millions of albums and his most recent release is a truly unique DVD/CD project entitled 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, which documents Kenny as he travels the country to jam with and interview the last of the authentic blues musicians.

Guitar Center’s mission is to provide aspiring musicians of every playing style and background with support-based programs that vastly improve their potential for becoming successful professional musicians.

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, Guitar Center Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes.

Past Guitar Center Sessions have featured music legends such as Slash, RZA, Pete Rock, Dave Mustaine and Joe Satriani. Other Guitar Center programs designed to foster up-and-coming musicians include Guitar Center’s Drum-Off (2008 winner Jerome Flood II), the world’s largest drum competition, and Guitar Center Onstage, a program developed to organically scout and launch unsigned artists by providing career altering opportunities through partnerships with some of the world’s greatest artists.

Join us as one of rock n’ roll’s true artists shares his experiences and offers insights from his celebrated and distinguished career.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 7 pm
Guitar Center Pasadena
2660 E. Colorado Blvd.
(626) 535-0108

Free to the public. Limited capacity.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Official Website

Guitar Center Sessions Official Website

On Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Guitar Center’s Drum-Off ‘08 champion Jerome Flood II made his television debut with a performance on Last Call with Carson Daly.

This past Saturday the 22-year-old resident of Atlanta was crowned winner of Guitar Center’s Drum-Off ‘08, the world’s largest drum competition.

Video: watch Jerome Flood II drum!

Jerome Flood II and the five other finalists were judged by a panel of today’s most prominent and acclaimed drummers including Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Kenny Aronoff, The Rev (Avenged Sevenfold), Danny Carey (Tool), and Trevor Lawrence Jr. (Snoop Dogg), Drew Hester (Foo Fighters/Joe Walsh), Atom Willard (Angels & Airwaves), Alan White (Yes),Thomas Pridgen (Mars Volta) and Frank Zummo (Street Drum Corps).

After battling through a total of five rounds of competition over the course of four months, Flood triumphed over nearly 5,000 contestants to become America’s next top undiscovered drummer.

For his winning performance he takes home $45,000 in cash and prizes and joins the illustrious group of Guitar Center Drum-Off winners that includes past title-holders Cora “CC” Dunham (Prince; Drum-Off ‘02 Champ), Eric Moore (Bobby Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Suicidal
Tendencies; Drum-Off ‘03 Champ), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z; Drum-Off ‘95 Champ) and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta).

“The world is going to know about me thanks to this,” said Flood. “I’m really thankful to Guitar Center for this opportunity, because it’s really changed my life.”

Guitar Center Drum Off Official Website

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An Evening of Dialogue and Insight with Joe Bonamassa.

Taking place Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA, the evening is free and open to the public. The evening will be powered in part by Gibson Guitars.

Joe Bonamassa is one of the premier blues-rock guitarist of his generation. At the early age of 12 he was already a touring pro, opening for the legendary B.B. King. Since then, Joe’s incendiary playing has earned him a loyal legion of fans and numerous albums in Billboard’s Top 10 blues chart.

Also a gifted singer and songwriter, Joe Bonamassa was named Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine’s readership in their annual Reader’s Choice Awards for 2008, and recently released ‘From Nowhere in Particular’, a 2-CD live album recorded during his fall 2007 U.S. tour and released on his own J&R Adventures label. The CD debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts.

Joe also hosts “Daily Cup Of Joe” as well, a Monday-Friday show on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Blues Channel 74 that airs from 12-12:15 PM (ET).

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, Guitar Center Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes.

Join us for a very special in-store event as Joe shares tips, techniques and experiences, talks about his signature Gibson Les Paul, and lays down some seriously soulful licks.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 @ 7 pm
Guitar Center Hollywood
7425 Sunset Blvd.
(323) 874-1060

Free to the public. Limited capacity.

Guitar Center Sessions
Guitar Center

Joe Bonamassa Official Website

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An Evening of Dialogue and Insight with Slash.

Taking place Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Northridge, CA, the evening is free and open to the public, and will include a book signing for 2008 Pop-Culture Book of the Year Reckless Road: Guns N’ Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction (Real Deal Media), the definitive visual history of the band’s early days in Hollywood. The evening will be powered by Gibson, Ernie Ball and Real Deal Media.

Slash is more than just a musician. He is an icon. From Guns n’ Roses to Velvet Revolver, Slash has changed the rock landscape with his rough and ready riffs and unforgettable, soulful leads, becoming one of the most recognizable guitarists in the world along the way. His catalog spans several decades and boasts some of rock’s greatest anthems.

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, the GC Sessions serve as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes.

Topics for this evening’s event with Slash include guitar techniques and his Gibson signature guitars, songwriting tips, touring and music business advice, and insider insight into the book Reckless Road.

Join us as one of rock n’ roll’s true legends shares his experiences and offers insights from his celebrated and distinguished career.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 @ 6 pm
Guitar Center Northridge
19510 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 993-0286

Guitar Center

Guitar Center Sessions

Slash Official Website

Guitar Center Announces Launch of World’s Largest Drum Competition – Guitar Center Drum-Off ‘08

World’s Largest Drum Competition Celebrates 20th Anniversary Offering Grand Prize Worth Over $45,000

For 20 years, Guitar Center has been committed to providing drummers across the country the opportunity to pursue their musical aspirations and achieve their dreams by way of the world’s largest drum competition: Guitar Center Drum-Off.

Starting August 1st, drummers can sign up for their chance to win over $45,000 in cash and prizes, joining over 5,000 drummers from across the US to compete for the title of Guitar Center’s Drum-Off Champion ‘08.

Like all Guitar Center music programs, Drum-Off is designed to provide developing artists with support-based opportunities that vastly improve the potential for their success as professional musicians. Drum-Off inspires up-and-coming drummers to further their musical aspirations, while at the same time encouraging the local music community and providing a platform for local musicians to network and be discovered.

Guitar Center’s Drum-Off ‘08 champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, a Roland TD-20 kit, and a custom designed drum kit by DW, Pearl, Gretsch, Tama, or Orange Country Drums as well as a drum, stick, cymbal, and drum head endorsement deals, be featured in Modern Drummer magazine, and in a Guitar Center ad campaign, along with a VIP appearance @ NAMM 2009 and shopping sprees with Levi’s, Converse and Guitar Center. A Monster Energy Drink endorsement deal is also part of the prize package, making the total prize package worth over $45,000. In addition, Sabian, Zildjian, Remo, Pro-Mark, Vic Firth, Evans and Rhythm Tech are all proud sponsors of Drum-Off 08.

Several winning alumni from Guitar Center’s previous Drum-Off competitions have gone on to have incredible drumming careers, including Cora “CC” Dunham (Prince; Drum-Off ‘02 Champ), Eric Moore (Bobby Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Infectious Grooves; Drum-Off ‘03 Champ), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z; Drum-Off ‘95 Champ) and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta), who became the Guitar Center Drum-Off champion in 1993 when he was just 9 years old!

How It Works:
Sign-ups for the preliminary rounds of the Drum-Off competition begin August 1, 2008 and run on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, with a maximum of 30 registrants per store. Contestants must sign up with a Guitar Center drum department associate at their local store — no phone or Internet sign-ups are available.

Local competitions start September 23rd, 2008 in all 214 Guitar Center locations from nationwide. One winner from each store will be chosen to move up to district competitions (24 locations), followed by regionally hosted semi-finals (6 locations) and culminating in the final championship Drum-Off in Los Angeles in January of 2009 (exact date and venue TBD).

COMPETITION DATES:
STORE PRELIMS: September 23rd, September 30th, and October 7th, 2008
STORE FINALS: October 14th
DISTRICT FINALS: November 4th
REGIONAL FINALS: December 2nd
GRAND FINALS: January 2009

Following the regional finals on December 6, 2008 finalists will be headed for Los Angeles in January, where they will perform before a panel of celebrity judges (past judges include, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Travis Barker, ?uestlove (The Roots), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), Josh Freese (NIN), Kenny Aronoff, Joey Castillio (Queens of the Stoneage) Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath), Steve Smith (Journey) and Alan White (Yes) in the final Guitar Center Drum-Off competition to see who will become Drum-Off ‘08 CHAMPION.

Guitar Center Official Website

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An evening of dialogue and insight with Dave Mustaine. This exclusive event is powered by Marshall amps and will be taking place on July 10, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA and is free and open to the public.

Since forming Megadeth in 1983, Dave Mustaine’s career has been one of the most thrilling and musically innovative in the history of heavy metal, selling over 20 million albums with 7 Grammy nominations. Under his extraordinary vision and leadership as guitarist, songwriter and singer, Megadeth has helped pioneer the thrash and speed metal movements and has influenced and inspired a generation.

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, GC Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes. For this evening’s event, Dave Mustaine will offer guitar techniques, discuss his favorite gear (including his signature guitars and Marshall amps), and provide advice on marketing, monetizing and touring in today’s music business.

Join us as Dave Mustaine, one of Metal’s most legendary icons, shares his experience and insights from his celebrated and distinguished career.

July 10, 2008 @ 6PM
Guitar Center Hollywood
7425 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Guitar Center Official Website

The Guitar Center Web Lab, a custom 32′ climate controlled internet trailer, provides bands and their crew exclusive access to a backstage wireless web center. Complete with top of the line Apple computers, a satellite-based broadband internet connections, design based software and a knowledgeable rep, Guitar Center’s mission is to provide Warped Tour artists/bands with the tools they need to maintain their online worlds when they are on the road – a service that is especially needed since web access is severely restricted in many of the rural areas where the Warped Tour touches down.

Guitar Center is also proud to provide all bands on the Vans Warped Tour with an onsite professional guitar tech, a.k.a. the “GC Axe Smith”. The GC Axe Smith is where Vans Warped Tour guitarists and bassists come to get their instruments tuned, repaired and ready to rock. From complete set-ups and minor repairs to intonation and truss-rod adjustments, this service is 100% FREE to the artists, underscoring Guitar Center’s commitment to helping Warped bands make the best music possible.

In addition, Guitar Center will serve as the exclusive, presenting sponsor of the Vans Warped Tour video blog. Utilizing the Web Lab as the blogging home base, a GC video reporter will use and include the Web Lab in video content as well as conduct artist interviews within the lab’s “testimonial” set-up. Our onsite Warped rep will also produce weekly video content with artists, conducting musician-centric interviews, how-to videos and more.

Check out the GC Axe Smith and Web Lab @ Warped Tour (’06) video:

Check out the GC Axe Smith on Austin TV

Guitar Center Official Website

Taking place June 12, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA, the evening will also feature Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz (also of the band Bad Religion), Joe Escalante (The Vandals, Kung Fu Records founder), Tom DeLonge (Angels and Airwaves and Modlife founder), Philip Sneed (Story of the Year) and Max Bemis (Say Anything), with moderator Jason Pettigrew, editor-in-chief of Alternative Press.

Since its inception in 1995, the Vans Warped Tour has been a catalyst for new music, exemplifying a culture of DIY that has shaped a generation. It is the largest, most successful summer music tour of all-time, featuring over 200 bands who will hit 40+ cities across the U.S. this summer, attracting more than 600,000 music fans.

As the nation’s leading music instrument retailer, Guitar Center is pleased to partner with the Vans Warped Tour again in 2008, and celebrates this partnership with a special edition of Guitar Center Sessions, presenting some of the Warped Tour’s most prolific and influential players, including Kevin Lyman, whose vision nearly 15 years ago of combining punk, ska and skate culture into a national cultural movement has evolved into the longest running annual festival tour in North America.

Lyman, who also created the Rockstar Taste of Chaos and Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tours, and is a partner at Sideonedummy Records, will be joined by several other artists and entrepreneurs who have been instrumental in shaping the industry.

Guitarist and songwriter Brett Gurewitz, who formed the seminal punk band Bad Religion in 1980, originally launched Epitaph Records in the mid 80s to sell Bad Religion records, but the label quickly became a significant indie brand, releasing such notable acts as NOFX, Rancid and The Offspring. Epitaph has also spawned several sister labels, including ANTI-, Fat Possum, Burning Heart and Hellcat.

Joe Escalante, best known as the bassist for So-Cal punk band The Vandals, is also label owner of Kung Fu Records and morning radio host on LA’s Indie 103.1 FM, as well as being a film and tv music supervisor and former TV executive / entertainment lawyer.

Rounding out the evening is former Blink-182 guitarist/singer Tom DeLonge, who formed Angels and Airwaves, Philip Sneed, guitarist/songwriter for St. Louis hardcore band Story of the Year, and Say Anything lead singer Max Bemis.

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, GC Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes in an intimate setting. The June 12th, 2008 Sessions will be conversational, as guests discuss “The Natural Progression of Music,” including the writing process, recording techniques, marketing, distribution, touring, and monetizing music.

Conversation will also naturally touch upon what it means to be both an artist and an entrepreneur, and the importance of creating businesses that foster and support such a vibrant (and massive) community of artists, fans and friends around the country based on shared music and culture.

Please join us for GC Sessions as we kick off the Warped Tour. This event is free and open to the public!

June 12, 2008 @ 6PM
Guitar Center Hollywood
7425 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

A private media-only portion of the evening will begin at 5pm.

On Friday, June 20, 2008, Guitar Center will hit the road with the Warped Tour, activating two programs designed to provide the Vans Warped Tour artists support-based tools that improve their chances for success as pro musicians: the GC Web Lab and the GC Axe Smith.

The Guitar Center Web Lab, a custom 32′ climate controlled internet trailer, provides bands and their crew exclusive access to a backstage wireless web center. Complete with top of the line Apple computers, a satellite-based broadband internet connections, design based software and a knowledgeable rep, Guitar Center’s mission is to provide Warped Tour artists/bands with the tools they need to maintain their online worlds when they are on the road – a service that is especially needed since web access is severely restricted in many of the rural areas where the Warped Tour touches down.

Guitar Center is also proud to provide all bands on the Vans Warped Tour with an onsite professional guitar tech, a.k.a. the “GC Axe Smith”. The Guitar Center Axe-Smith is where Vans Warped Tour guitarists and bassists come to get their instruments tuned, repaired and ready to rock. From complete set-ups and minor repairs to intonation and truss-rod adjustments, this service is 100% FREE to the artists, underscoring Guitar Center’s commitment to helping Warped bands make the best music possible.

In addition, Guitar Center will serve as the exclusive, presenting sponsor of the Vans Warped Tour video blog. Utilizing the Web Lab as the blogging home base, a GC video reporter will use and include the Web Lab in video content as well as conduct artist interviews within the lab’s “testimonial” set-up.

Our onsite Warped rep will also produce weekly video content with artists, conducting musician-centric interviews, how-to videos and more.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 214 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company’s Website:

Guitar Center Official Website

Guitar Center and Charlie Sexton will join Gibson Guitar for a special event to launch the world’s first guitar with robotic technology, the Gibson Robot Guitar.

The event takes place on Monday, December 3, 2007 at 3 p.m. at Guitar Center, 2525 West Anderson Lane, Ste. 200, Austin, Texas. True to the spirit of innovation, Gibson Guitar is set to make musical history with the invention of the world’s first Robot Guitar.

Austin-raised singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Charlie Sexton made his debut with ‘Pictures For Pleasure’ in 1985 at age 16. He followed up that release with a self-titled second album when he was 20. As a prodigy guitar player, Sexton is known for his live and session guitar work with Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, David Bowie and Don Henley; his album production for Lucinda Williams, Edie Brickell, Los Super Seven and Shannon McNally; and his own projects, both as a member of Arc Angels and a solo artist, including his fourth album, ‘Cruel And Gentle Things’.

The public and press are invited to attend this sneak peak and exclusive event hosted by Charlie Sexton, who will demonstrate and perform with the world’s first run limited edition version of the Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar. A question and answer session will follow.

The Gibson Robot Guitar goes on sale at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2007, with a very limited number of guitars at each of the participating dealers.

To find the list of exclusive Robot Guitar dealers go to: Gibson Robot Guitar Dealers.

Guitar Center at 2525 Anderson Lane, Austin, will take reservations for the Gibson Robot Guitar during the special event. Once the limited supply is sold out, Gibson Guitar will not reproduce. Only ten robotic guitars per store are available.

For more information on this special event go to www.gibson.com or contact Guitar Center at 512.891.0297.

Charlie Sexton

Guitar Center

Gibson Official Website

An album filled with memorable melodies and impeccable technique, his successful debut release, Long Time Coming, received outstanding reviews from critics across the nation and opened many doors for the young and rising star. Harvey Cline of Smooth Views said, “It is understandable to see why he has won so many guitar competitions…I’d suggest you find a copy soon.”

This self-produced debut caught the attention of producer greats Jeff Lorber and Paul Brown. Lorber and Brown would go on to produce his sophomore release, Stay A While out May 1, 2007. Other producers on the album include Darren Rahn (Wayman Tisdale, Jonathan Butler) and Mario Mendivil (Nelson Rangell). With the likes of Jeffrey Osborne, Euge Groove and Michael Lington on his release, Soto is in star-studded company and sure to catch the attention of Smooth Jazz fans everywhere.

Jay Soto recently signed with the smooth jazz label, nuGroove (Michael Lington and Down To The Bone). With all these factors favoring Soto, it won’t be long before his music and his guitar reach the ears of thousands of awaiting fans.

Jay Soto Official Website
Jay Soto on Myspace