Hail, Hail, the New Guitar Center King of the Blues Is Crowned

by Michael Berick.

Aaron Loesch wasn’t confident about his performance at the King of the Blues grand finals at Hollywood’s Music Box at the Fonda Theater on June 16, 2007. “I felt I missed a lot of notes, I wished I could do it again,“ he admitted after the show. The judges, however, felt otherwise, crowning Loesch the 2007 Guitar Center “King of The Blues”.

It was somewhat ironic that the winning guitarist at this Gibson-sponsored event played with a homemade guitar cobbled from a Silvertone body. Loesch used it during the electric portion of his performance while playing with the Pete Anderson-led house band. With his hands flying up and down the fretboard, the sandy-haired Texan churned out some down 'n' dirty blues that grabbed the audience’s attention. Loesch later revealed that he chose that specific guitar because its gritty tone sounded like “an electric toilet” – just the right sound to play the blues. He continued to hold his sway over the crowd during his two-minute acoustic guitar solo with some complicated, dexterous fingerpicking.

For winning the King of the Blues title, Loesch will get the opportunity to play next month at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, along with seven days in the studio with acclaimed producer/guitarist Pete Anderson, a 1959 Gibson VOS re-issue Les Paul, a Gibson amp and one year endorsement deal with Gibson Guitar, plus a new car, computer and other prizes.

To grab the title, Loesch beat out strong competition from the other three finalists: Alex Johnson, Rob Baumeister and Zack Wiesinger. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who served as one of the judges, was impressed with every one of them. “They were very well qualified to be up there. There were no amateurs. They all had solid chops.” What helped to make Loesch stand out, at least in Shepherd’s opinion, was the innovative open tuning that he used. “Anybody who’s ever played regular guitar in an open tuning knows what a challenge that is.”

Aaron Loesch's performance at the 2007 Guitar Center King of the Blues finals:

Zack Wiesinger, who at 20 was the youngest performer, kicked off the show with a highly animated performance that displayed both his precocious skills and showmanship. He wound up his electric segment with his 1979 Fender Strat's cord wrapped around the mic stand and then began his acoustic piece by standing on top of a stool.

Wiesinger, who said his goals are “to write music, perform it live and enjoy life”, cited his influences as running from A (Chet Atkins) to Z (Frank Zappa). A Pittsburgh transplant to Hollywood, he shouldn’t feel too disappointment about not winning. He has already lined up a gig opening a tour for his mentor, Steve Vai.

For this contest, all the contestants acknowledged Pete Anderson’s beneficial influence. During the earlier rounds, they only played “karaoke-style” to backing tracks Anderson created. However, for the finals, they got to play live with the man himself and it was an eye-opening experience. Alex Johnson, who also runs the Ann Arbor Music Center, found Anderson’s playing to be a dissertation on the rhythm guitar; something he’d utilized in his teaching. Loesch found sharing the stage with Anderson to be something totally in his comfort zone. “He just wanted to see us sound as good as we can,” he said, adding, “I felt like I’ve been jamming with him forever.” Anderson was equally as impressed with the finalists: “I was incredibly impressed with the level of talent and creativity that each of the guitarists demonstrated.”

The four finalists also were uniform in stating that there was more friendly comradeship rather than vicious competitiveness among them. Jerseyite Baumeister revealed that the four had all bonded and made “a pact to stay friends”, while Johnson, the senior finalist at 39, described the show to be like “a winner’s circle on stage". Loesch admitted that he initially wanted to keep to himself, but once he met the other guitarists, he exclaimed: “Dude, we’ve got to jam together!”

Although the competitors formed a camaraderie, they certainly gave their all on stage. Following Wiesinger’s exuberant performance, Rob Baumeister took the spotlight. Clad in a black suit jacket, he played his left-handed Fender Strat with a fluid grace that was spiked with some funkiness. Baumeister, called the night a “blast – I felt things I have never felt before.” The sold-out house of 1,200 was three times larger than anywhere he had played before.

Johnson also infused his playing with a strong rhythmic sense, which shouldn’t be surprising considering that he also is drummer. He excited the crowd in particular during his acoustic solo with his heavily percussive playing. Johnson, whose plugged-in performance combined blues licks with classic rock stylings, played one of the guitars that he won during the King of Blues contest, a Les Paul Standard. After the show, Johnson revealed that the competition had rekindled his desire to play live again and he hopes to form a modern/progressive blues band when he returns home to Michigan.

While Johnson was the final King of the Blues contestant, he was far from the show closer. In fact, the guitar play-off served just as the main course for a stuffed evening of music. Show host Cheech Marin opened the night on a light note, performing his own “blues” tune about Mexican Americans. Then the legendary classic rock d.j. Jim Ladd introduced the first two inductees to the Guitar Center’s RockWalk: George Thorogood & The Destroyers and Keb’ Mo. Thorogood thanked his loyal fans, acknowledging that “the people can make you and they break you,” and how he “loved playing for the people.” The dapper Keb’ Mo’, who grew up in nearby Compton, also expressed his excitement with receiving this RockWalk honor.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd personally introduced the third RockWalk recipient, Howlin’ Wolf’s longtime guitarist Hubert Sumlin, calling him someone who has “become like a father to me”. Shepherd, in a subsequent interview, said it was a “privilege to be asked to introduce him”, noting that Sumlin “has influenced everybody to pick up the instrument in some shape, form or fashion. He is truly a living legend.” The resplendent Sumlin looked much younger than his 75 years, especially when did a shimmy shake after putting his hand in the cement – which got the audience chanting “Hubert”.

Shepherd then brought out his band and ignited the crowd with his fiery guitar playing. On his third song, he was joined by Sumlin, who showed why he is a legend. On the blues standard “Sitting On Top Of The World”, Sumlin demonstrated that his fingers were still quite nimble as they glided up and down his Les Paul’s neck. On the old Howlin’ Wolf classic “They Call Me The Rocker”, Sumlin shined with a wonderful chicken-scratchy solo while Shepherd’s solo flashed like strikes of lightning. “I’ll play this solo that’s my interpretation of his recorded version,” Shepherd later admitted, “and I think that I did a good job and then Hubert will start playing a riff and it will just blow my mind, and it will remind me why he’s Hubert Sumlin and I’m not.”

Shepherd wasn’t the only big name act to grace the stage. Following the King of the Blues winner coronation, there was a special performance by the Black Crowes. Actor Billy Bob Thornton introduced them, instructing the crowd to “scream your asses off” and the people took Thornton’s words to heart. Chris Robinson and his Crowes crew had the audience shaking their moneymakers as everybody boogied well beyond midnight. The revived band certainly sounded rejuvenated as they surged through a vibrant and extended set of southern rock jams.

The night turned out to be quite the celebration of the past, present and, hopefully, the future of the blues, one that reinforced the scene’s sense of community. Loesch talked about how he was proud to represent his friends and musicians back home, proclaiming: “My victory is their victory.” Shepherd meanwhile noted how the blues genre isn’t just for old people like some skeptics think. “There was a tremendous amount of talent on the stage, all the way from the youngest guys in the competition to the oldest guys in the room like Hubert. It was a night to be remembered.”

Related Links
Review: Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Concert
Eric Clapton and Guitar Friends Raise Money for Crossroads Centre (concert photos)
Aaron Loesch Ready for Eric Clapton Crossroads Concert
Bill Murray, Robbie Robertson, and Johnny Winter Added to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival Concert
Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival Announces Festival Village
2007 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Website
MSN Music Crossroads Concert Webcast
Eric Clapton Announces 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival to Be Held in Chicago
Fender Creates Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocasters and Amps
John Mayer and Eric Clapton Introduce the Sun Strat Guitar
Coronation Countdown: Guitar Center's King of the Blues Competition
King of the Blues Finalist Zack Wiesinger Opens for Steve Vai
Guitar Center King of the Blues Website

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