'Guitar Idol' takes stage

Guitarists from around Bloomington competed in the fourth-annual Hoosier Guitar Idol Monday at Max’s Place. The event, organized by The Business Careers in Entertainment Club, began as a benefit for the Bloomington Hospital emergency room.

“We’ve been doing it for the last four years,” said Ravi Ghelani, a member of the club.

IU graduate and former club member Eric Butte began the competition after surviving a severe motorcycle accident.

“This served as an excellent way for me to give back to the people that saved my life,” Butte said in a press release. “I am grateful for that opportunity.”

The event has since become a fundraiser for the club to help finance other activities. The club is planning two more benefit concerts: “Rock For Kids’ Sake” in April and “Addicted to Music” in May.

Senior Brendan Wood entered the competition and performed based on a dare from a friend.

“One of my friends challenged me to write a hard-core song,” he said. “So I did.”

Wood was one of 12 guitarists who played various musical styles, ranging from metal to funk. During round one of the competition, each contestant played a 3-to-4 minute composition, after which the top four contestants moved on to the next round.

In round two, contestants performed a 4-minute improvised solo, backed by the band “The Main Squeeze.” The top two scores from the second round moved on to the final round, where a winner was chosen and rewarded $200.

Judges for the event included Jason Wilber, lead guitarist for the Grammy-winning John Prine; Travers, the owner of Max’s Place; guitarists from the band “Zion Crossroads”; and Kyle Gilpin, the first winner of the contest.

“It’s a regular fundraising event for us,” club member Veronica Walton said. It’s the only event that we have to raise money for us. Everything else is for charity concerts.”