Guitar Hero Competition For Real Guitarists?!
Forget about all those Guitar Hero contests held in bars across America, this is the real thing, people! Activision, Microsoft and Digidesign are partnering to present the 3rd Annual Guitar Player's Guitar Hero Competition. The ten finalists, who have been chosen from across the country, will compete at the event on Friday, October 12, at the Great American Music Hall in San Fransisco, CA.
Guitar legend Joe Satriani will join Toto's Steve Lukather, Elliot Easton of The Cars and others to judge the contest, and the winner will receive some impressive prizes. Well, at least the guitar, amp, and pedal sound impressive, but not knowing anything about music, I can't say for sure. Less impressive is a Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate software package. Eh. What if they're a Mac addict?
Oh, and in additon to providing a Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 bundle (but not a 360, so I hope they've already got one!) to the winner, Activision will be demoing the upcoming Guitar Hero III. So even people who can't actually play the guitar can shred with the best of 'em! Full press release after the jump!
Guitar Player's Guitar Hero 2007 Competition to Feature "Riff Off" Between Actual vs. Virtual Guitarist and Demos of Guitar Hero III
Joe Satriani and Elliot Easton of the Cars among celebrity judges to select 2007 winner
San Bruno, CA (September 29, 2007) —Ten finalists have been selected from among hundreds of entries posted on SonicBids.com to battle for the international title of “Guitar Hero” at Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero 2007 competition to be held Friday, October 12 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
Activision, Microsoft and Digidesign are partnering to present the 3rd annual Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero competition. Activision produces the red-hot video game Guitar Hero and will be on hand with pre-launch demos of their new release, Guitar Hero III on Xbox XBox 360-outfitted kiosks on the show floor. The event will be webcast using Microsoft’s “Silverlight” medium on http://www.GuitarPlayer.com.
“This guitar gala brings together legendary musicians, aspiring guitarists, and phenomenally talented unknowns in an “American Idol-style competition ” for guitarists,” says Guitar Player Eeditor in Cchief Michael Molenda. “And for guitarist-gamers it’s an opportunity to experience the world’s best players live and in person!”
The premier premiere Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero competition was held in 2005 at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where New York’s Dominic Frasca was crowned with the Guitar Hero title. Last year’s champion was Trey Alexander of Pennsylvania.
The ten finalists – representing a wide range of guitar styles including Latin Shred, Rockabilly, Country and Rock – are: Jamie Robinson (Toronto, Ontario), Juan Coronado (Whitby, Ontario) Tony Smotherman (Jacksonville, Florida), Taka Minamino (Hollywood, CA ), Danny B. Harvey (Canyon County, CA), Curtis Fornadley (Playa Del Rey, CA), Casey Harshbarger (Indianapolis, Indiana), Ladd Smith (Nashville, Tennessee) , Les Robot (real name: Cory Melnychuk) (Edmonton, Alberta), and Chris Peters (Orlando, Florida).
All ten contestants receive an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco. The Winner, First Runner Up, and Second Runner Up of the event will receive custom trophies and gear packages from the event sponsors. The Winner will receive a Digidesign 003 Factory Pro Tools LE system (value: $2,495), a Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate software package, a Guitar Hero II XBox 360 bundle from Activision, an Epiphone Elitist Tak Matsumoto Signature Guitar With Hard Case AND an Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500RCCE Acoustic Guitar With Hard Gigbag, choice of a Mesa/Boogie Stiletto or Lone Star amp, a Jimi Hendrix Wah and MXR Distortion III guitar f/x pedal from Dunlop Manufacturing, and much more.
Celebrity judges including San Francisco’s legendary Joe Satriani, Toto axeman Steve Lukather, Elliot Easton of the Cars, prog-rock icon Greg Howe, Shrapnel Records’ Mike Varney, and a surprise guest willvirtuoso Nuno Bettencourt will evaluate each five-minute original performance and select the Winner and First and Second Runner-up finalists. Brendon Small, co-creator of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse cartoon will emcee.
The contestants will perform with the house band Thud Ffactor, comprised of editors from music magazines Guitar Player, Bass Player and Keyboard.
Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero is sponsored by Activision, Digidesign, and Microsoft with additional sponsorship from Epiphone Guitars, Mesa/Boogie amps, Jodavi ZZYZX Snapjackk Cables, Dunlop Manufacturing, Moody Leather, Planet Waves, and Sonicbids. The competition takes place Friday, October 12, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. at Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA. Admission $15.00 in advance, $20.00 at the door. Tickets can be ordered online at www.gamh.com; www.tickets.com, or call 1-800-225-2277.
Wootini
Posted to Video Games on 2 October 2007
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