News: guitar idol 2008 cd on the way

News:
01-11-2008:
Yeah... mark a date in your diary to pick up the guitar idol 2008 CD... and I get a name check too! How cool is that!?! To be released November 14th 2008

Guitar Idol 2008 was conceived as an online worldwide talent search to find the next generation of Guitar Heroes… and boy did it deliver! Already the biggest guitar competition in history, between March 21st 2008 and the Live Grand Final on June 14th 2008 almost half a million people visited, voted or entered the competition. On June 14th thousands of guitar fans witnessed 12 future guitar stars do battle with a crack live band on the main stage at The London International Music Show to be crowned ‘Guitar Idol 2008’.



In late 2007 Alloutguitar.com, Licklibrary.com and the UK’s Guitar Buyer magazine sat down and decided the time was right to launch a new international guitarist talent search – one that for the first time utilised the Internet, by having contestants upload their video or audio entries at www.guitar-idol.co.uk to then be voted and discussed by guitar fans worldwide. With the massive resurgence of guitar playing, from metal to blues to the new acoustic masters, we all thought this could be big… but not this big! Visitors to the website crossed all cultural and national divides – not only from the US and Europe but places as diverse as Nepal, Iraq and Siberia!

With nearly 1000 contestants truly spanning the globe, the standard was overwhelmingly high. Eventually with a combination of public votes and a panel of industry professionals, 12 outstanding Finalists were chosen.

Finalists Gustavo di Padua, Gustavo Guerra and Fernando Miyata flew in from the ‘new home of shred’ Brazil, Peter Petchalov from Russia, Chris Feener from Canada, Muris Varajic from Bosnia and Daniele Gottardo from Italy. The UK was represented by Jas Morris, Tom Qualye, Ben Randall, the one-handed phenomenon Marc Playle and Lyle Watt, the 15 year wunderkind from North Scotland!



All of the finalists arrived in London for Friday 13th July 2008, to rehearse their songs at North London’s ‘Institute of Contemporary Music Performance’ with an amazing live band consisting of Darren Ashford (Drums) Gianluca Corona (Rhythm Guitar) and Dave Marks (Bass and M.D). 5 languages, 12 players, and less than 10 hours… Anyone reading this who’s ever played live and rehearsed a set knows how hard this would have been - throw in the language barriers as well and the prospect of playing in front of thousands of guitar fans the next day… I’m sure you all appreciate how monumental a task this was! But they did it!

And so, on Saturday 14th June 2008, on the main stage at The London Guitar Show – with no sound check, the 12 finalists performed to a huge audience and a panel of industry judges. After nearly 2 hours of explosive guitar talent, the judges eventually picked the deserved winner - Gustavo Guerra from Brazil - Guitar Idol 2008!

This CD is a celebration of the first in what will be an ongoing annual competition that could well dictate the future of virtuoso guitar playing! On this album are not only the 12 lucky finalists, but three other players who were invited to attend the finals but couldn’t make the journey, as well as a further three who were so close to making the final dozen that we couldn’t ignore their efforts…

Listening to this CD, I think you’ll agree that after years in the doldrums the art of virtuoso guitar playing is well and truly back! Also ponder this:

The last time guitar playing on this level was in the limelight, it was almost exclusively the province of guitar players from the US and Western Europe. Fast forward 20 years and we see the emergence of hotbeds of talent from South America, Eastern Europe and Asia joining the party… it seems that outstanding guitar playing is now a truly worldwide commodity. So let’s all do our bit to break down the walls of the cultural divide and welcome in a new golden age of guitar!

Owen Edwards
Editor, Alloutguitar.com

Don’t miss Guitar Idol 2009 launching Autumn 2008 at www.guitaridol.tv The Grand Live Final will again be held at the London International Music Show in June 2009. This will be even bigger and better… have YOU got what it takes?!

Credits
Guitar Idol 2008 was brought to you by All Out Guitar, Lick Library and MB Media.

Executive Producers - Owen Edwards, Rory Sullivan, Andy Conroy, James Edwards, Kim Waller, Stuart Bull and Clive Morton.

Live Final Hosts: Stuart Bull and Owen Edwards
Backstage Coordination: Nick Andrew

Guitar Idol would like to thank the following for helping to make this happen:

The Sponsors
Gavin Mortimer from Paul Reed Smith, Andy Rust from Peavey, Andy Craven and Lasse from Lion Music, Pete Lunney from Strings and Things, Joanna Awad from Roland/Boss, Simon Pitt and Drew Cullingham from Rockschool and last - but most definitely not least, Pete Whittard and the team from The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance - we couldn’t have done it without you guys!

The London International Music Show for providing the amazing stage and venue for The Guitar Idol Finals 2008!

Prizes were donated by: PRS, Peavey, Ernie Ball, Roland, Rockschool and Lion Music.

The Band
Darren Ashford (Drums), Gianluca Corona (Rhythm Guitar) and Dave Marks (Bass and M.D www.davemarks.com) from The Institute Of Contemporary Music Performance – what you guys did in one day of rehearsals was inspirational!

Peavey for providing the backline and Mapex for the drums.

Sound and Lights
Capital Sound - Charlie you did it mate – look forward to working with you in the future! www.capital-sound.co.uk / www.capital-productions.co.uk

The Final Judges
Phil Hilborne, Beth Johnson from Ernie Ball, Edward Box and Rory Sullivan from Alloutguitar.com, Andy James from licklibrary.com and Alloutguitar.com, Martin Goulding from Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) and Drew Cullingham (Rockschool).

The Online Judging Panel
Jay Parmar, Simon Lees, Owen Edwards, Kim Waller and Stuart Bull, James Edwards, Andy James, Edward Box, David Greaves, Nick Andrew, Gianluca Corona, Rory Sullivan and Pete Thompson.

Special Thanks to Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Laurie Monk, Ben Teacher, Maxine Adamson, Charlotte Sullivan, Phil Arneill (for manning the stand and missing the main event), David Greeves, Mike Blackburn, David Phillips at A&R Marketing and Fiona Graves at Midnight PR – not forgetting Youtube!

Also thanks to our media support from The Sun, The Mirror, Richard and Judy at Channel 5, UK/Brazilian/Canadian/Italian National TV and regional TV and Radio in Leeds, Scotland, East Anglia and Newcastle.

A big final thanks to the 500,000 + visitors to the Guitar Idol website and the loyal legion of forum junkies who helped to make this thing happen.

PS. And another big final thanks to anyone we forgot to mention!

Watch The Live Final at www.licklibrary.com/channels

Read all about the Competition and exclusive Interviews with the Contestants at www.alloutguitar.com

This album was co-ordinated by Rory Sullivan

Live Photos courtesy of Lick Library
Mastered by Lion Music
Distributed by Lion Music
Executive Producer Lion Music

Check out lion music for full name checks and a full track listing run down and bio information!

Track listing:
01. GUSTAVO GUERRA (Guitar Idol 2008 Winner) - Na Veia 5:29
02. LYLE WATT (Guitar Idol 2008 Runner-up) - Swirly Strat Jam (Live from Guitar Idol 2008 4:56
03. DANIELE GOTTARDO - Guitar Sbrego 4:19
04. BEN RANDALL - Before the Rain 4:57
05. JAS MORRIS - Revelation 4:15
06. GUSTAVO DI PADUA - Second Floor 4:06
07. MURIS VARAJIC - Junk Medley 3:50
08. PETCHALOV - You're The Best I Know... 3:19
09. TOM QUAYLE - Identity Crisis 4:11
10. CHRIS FEENER - The Electric Hillbilly 3:24
11. MARC PLAYLE - Storm 3:15
12. FERNANDO MIYATA - Age 6:09
13. MATTRACH - Monophonic 4:38
14. MASAHIRO AOKI - Spirits 4:06
15. SILVIO GAZQUEZ - Far Away 5:09
16. DENIS VLACHIOTIS - Imperishable Ferocity 4:03
17. ANDRE NORONHA - Never Give Up 4:06
18. DIMITAR NALBANTOV - Terrestrial Paradise 4:13