3 Minutes of Fame

It's very simple. I got an email from Kutless once about the chance to play with Kutless, and I couldn't be more excited. Back then I was still a die-hard Kutless fanatic, or what back then I called "addict."
It didn't take me much thought to enter. Rules were simple - record yourself playing the song, post it on YouTube, enter into the contest, and wait for the verdict. Six people were then chosen to compete. I didn't count how many entered but there were quite a few. There are six major events were contestants competed. I happened to be the one who competed in Creation NorthWest festival. But, that wasn't the biggest prize - the winner would get a very nice guitar. The winner was decided by votes at kutless.com.
Well, after I found out that I was chosen to play at Creation NorthWest, I had to do a few things. First, I had to wait a few months for the event. Then I had to drive a few hundred miles from Boise, ID to Gorge Washington and find somewhere to stay. Then, I had to spend two full days on the blazing heat of a hot summer day at the Gorge Amphitheater watching bands perform, usually bands I lost the taste for.
Then, I got a call from one of the guys from Kutless team. The conversation was horribly complicated because the stage was making a lot of noise, and the caller was just backstage. After figuring out that it's right by the PRS sign, I finally found it. I was backstage, with my favorite band. Pretty cool, huh?

NOTICE: The picture was edited. Who can guess what's missing? :D

Contest Article on PRS Guitars Website

I was stage-side watching the show from behind the subs. Sound quality wasn't the greatest, but being stage-side is VIP access only, so it made me feel pretty special.
I finally got called out and set up. James gave me an axe and we were pretty much under way. Then, Jon said his famous words - "On this next song.... I WANNA SEE YOU GOING CRAZEEEEEY!" And the stage literally exploded. It wasn't what I expected, but the energy was there more than ever.. It wasn't really laud up on the stage, to be honest. Sometimes the crowd completely drowned out the music. After a major adrenalin rush and a bunch of mess-ups, I punched the great finale by raising the guitar like Ryan used to, and in my opinion, sucked at it.

Absolutely, every single minute of it. Although I hated the fact that I placed last in votes, and I really wanted that guitar, but all I got was 25 dollars in Kutless Merchandise, I'm proud of it.

Those who know me now, or just read my other blog, I'm not exactly proud of rock music anymore, and to be honest, I'm not proud of what Kutless has become. I was hoping Kutless would bring back Strong Tower style with their new album. What did they come up with? A metal album, and that's what broke it for me. Sure, not all of it is thrashing metal, but one calm or moderately calm song didn't cut it for me.