Business Careers in Entertainment Club

News

IU students on a hunt to find best the guitarist in Bloomington

Published Thursday, January 15, 2009

What: Hoosier Guitar Idol - Battle of Bloomington's 10 Best Guitarists

When: January 22, 2009 @ 6:30 PM

Where: Max's Place - 109 West 7th Street

Students of Indiana University's Business Careers in Entertainment Club are on a hunt to find Bloomington's best guitarist in their 3rd annual Hoosier Guitar Idol to be held at Max's Place on January 22nd at 6:30pm. Proceeds from the concert will help dedicated music business students of the BCEC gain knowledge and experience of the music industry. Proceeds from the event will assist bringing in music industry representatives such as Dave Weissman, an IU graduate and former BCEC member, who currently runs his own music production company Musical Earth, Dan Kemer, Vice-President of Talent Management of Live Nation Indiana, and Jon Coombs from Secretly Canadian. All three representatives will offer advice and answer questions to hopeful individuals wishing to learn more about the competitive entertainment industry.

The format for Hoosier Guitar Idol consists of ten previously auditioned guitarists that will compete in three rounds. Round one will consist of each contestant playing a 3-4 minute original composition, with the top 4 contestant moving on to the next round. Round two will consist of two duels between each group of two, backed by a house band, with the contestants playing improv. The winner of each group will face off in round three battling against each other backed by the house band.

Recent IU graduate Eric Butte put on last year's event to raise money for Bloomington Hospital. Butte credits the hospital's ER with saving his life after a nearly fatal motorcycle collision on IU's campus just three years ago. "This served as an excellent way for me to give back to the people that saved my life" says Butte "and I am grateful for that opportunity."

The Business Careers in Entertainment Club (BCEC) is compromised of four committees Film & TV, Sports, Gaming, and Music. Its mission is to provide internships, job opportunities, career information, and hands-on experience to undergraduate students interested in the business end of the entertainment industry. This is the first event of the year sponsored by the music committee. Music committee co-director Deuce Thevenow sees the event as "a great opportunity for students at IU to showcase their talents that often go unnoticed." Future events include two concert fundraisers Rock for Kids' Sake and Addicted to Music.

Judges for the event include Bloomington's own Jason Wilber, singer/songwriter and lead guitarist for Grammy award-winning John Prine, and Dan Sumner, co-founder and guitarist for New Orleans's jazz based PermaGrin also an Assistant Instructor at the IU Jacobs School of Music. The audience will also serve as a judge for the event. Each person that pays a cover charge of $3 will get a ticket or ballot; this will ensure that their favorite artist moves on to the next round. Additional ballots can be purchased. Not only will ten contestants compete to be named IU's Hoosier Guitar Idol 2009, but the winner will also receive a hefty cash prize of $250. So, if you are an aspiring musician in search of a lead-guitarist or simply a music junkie, be sure to make your way to Max's place January 22nd for a night of jaw-dropping performances. For more information, click here or contact Deuce Thevenow at (317) 414-1635.