Winona Guitartist 2nd In International Contest
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
When Patrick Woods submitted a demonstration video for international contest for guitar players, he was at a crossroads.
Should he continue as a musician or secure a "regular" job?
It turns out, he should keep playing.
Out of more than 4,000 entrants, Woods was selected among the top 10 in the second annual Guitar Player's Guitar Hero contest, sponsored by Guitar Player magazine.
He performed before an audience of fans who launched into a thunderous ovation in San Francisco's Great American Music Hall Sept. 23.
He took second place. The only acoustic guitarist in the competition, without a backup band, he just plugged into an amplifier and gave the judges "Time & Fire" off his "Power Strikes" CD.
And he brought down the house.
"They were all guitar fans, people who are really into it," Woods said of the audience.
Guitar Hero judges included guitar legend Joe Satriani, session great and Toto axeman Steve Lukather, former Poison and Mr. Big guitarist Ritchie Kotzen, Rockstar: SuperNova house band guitar slinger Rafael Moreira, Shredmistress Rynata and Steve Read of Musician's Friend.
"The contest had to be hard to judge because the contestants were all top notch. Being in the top 10 out of 4,000 ... that says a lot," Woods said.
He received a Les Paul Epiphone guitar, an amplifier, and hung out with the judges after the contest.
A long-time admirer of Joe Satriani, Woods said he was thrilled to talk at length with his mentor.
Back home in Winona Lake after three years in Columbus, Ohio, Woods said he knows he can play under pressure and hold his own.
He travels a lot, going from Chicago to Cleveland to Indianapolis for gigs.
"[The contest is] a reason to keep going. It tells me I should still be playing."
Woods hooks up with other solo guitarists. He said the solo guitar fans consist of people who have always loved the genre and newcomers.
Saturday, he plays at the Village at Winona outside in the gazebo from 11 to 4 p.m. and travels to Portage that night for a gig at the Hotornot.
A couple of weeks ago he was at the Huntington Street Bar & Grill in Syracuse, and has nothing but praise for owner Steve Tarner's efforts to bring music to the area.
Whether listening to a Woods CD or attending a Woods concert, it may be difficult at first to reconcile what is heard with what is seen.
There's only one musical instrument, a treble bass, which has six guitar strings and four bass strings. Woods' hands treat the guitar as part stringed instrument and part percussion set, producing exotic, haunting melodies and riffs that send shivers down the spine.
On the Net:
www.pwguitar.com, which has a link to MySpace where cuts from Power Fields can be heard. [[In-content Ad]]
When Patrick Woods submitted a demonstration video for international contest for guitar players, he was at a crossroads.
Should he continue as a musician or secure a "regular" job?
It turns out, he should keep playing.
Out of more than 4,000 entrants, Woods was selected among the top 10 in the second annual Guitar Player's Guitar Hero contest, sponsored by Guitar Player magazine.
He performed before an audience of fans who launched into a thunderous ovation in San Francisco's Great American Music Hall Sept. 23.
He took second place. The only acoustic guitarist in the competition, without a backup band, he just plugged into an amplifier and gave the judges "Time & Fire" off his "Power Strikes" CD.
And he brought down the house.
"They were all guitar fans, people who are really into it," Woods said of the audience.
Guitar Hero judges included guitar legend Joe Satriani, session great and Toto axeman Steve Lukather, former Poison and Mr. Big guitarist Ritchie Kotzen, Rockstar: SuperNova house band guitar slinger Rafael Moreira, Shredmistress Rynata and Steve Read of Musician's Friend.
"The contest had to be hard to judge because the contestants were all top notch. Being in the top 10 out of 4,000 ... that says a lot," Woods said.
He received a Les Paul Epiphone guitar, an amplifier, and hung out with the judges after the contest.
A long-time admirer of Joe Satriani, Woods said he was thrilled to talk at length with his mentor.
Back home in Winona Lake after three years in Columbus, Ohio, Woods said he knows he can play under pressure and hold his own.
He travels a lot, going from Chicago to Cleveland to Indianapolis for gigs.
"[The contest is] a reason to keep going. It tells me I should still be playing."
Woods hooks up with other solo guitarists. He said the solo guitar fans consist of people who have always loved the genre and newcomers.
Saturday, he plays at the Village at Winona outside in the gazebo from 11 to 4 p.m. and travels to Portage that night for a gig at the Hotornot.
A couple of weeks ago he was at the Huntington Street Bar & Grill in Syracuse, and has nothing but praise for owner Steve Tarner's efforts to bring music to the area.
Whether listening to a Woods CD or attending a Woods concert, it may be difficult at first to reconcile what is heard with what is seen.
There's only one musical instrument, a treble bass, which has six guitar strings and four bass strings. Woods' hands treat the guitar as part stringed instrument and part percussion set, producing exotic, haunting melodies and riffs that send shivers down the spine.
On the Net:
www.pwguitar.com, which has a link to MySpace where cuts from Power Fields can be heard. [[In-content Ad]]