Electricity filled the showroom of the Guitar
Center Wednesday night in Arlington
Heights. And not just from the amps fueled
by all the electric guitars in stock.
The finals of the so-called Guitarmaged- '
don, or the ultimate guitar showdown, took
place on a stage set up in the middle of the
showroom. Similar showdowns"took place
Wednesday night at the 75 Guitar Centers
across the country, including three other
Chicagolarid stores
"One of our goals is to get the guitar play-
,ers back, in the forefront," 'said John Sabb,
assistant manager of the Guitar-Center in
'Arlington Heights. "In the'80s you heard a
lot of guitar sdlos, but in today's music the
guitars are in the background. We're trying
to change that."
During the month of June, guitarists playing
different styles competed m playoffs for
the chance to. represent the store at the regional level this Sunday.That competition
takes place at6:30 pjn. at Joe's on "
Weed Street on the Near North Side of
Chicago. In" all, 12 contestants will vie for the Midwest
title for a berth to the national show-
-down later this month in Boston.
Wednesday night four finalists went up
against each other. Surrounded by neariy
50 fans, with electric'guitars hanging from .
the rafters, the contestants gave.it theirl .
best shot They included Michael Daiiz, 23,
of Schaumburg playing classical guitar; :
Tim Seisser, 17, of Arlington Heights play-
mgtess guitar; SaarSchnitmah. 18, of
Chicago playing electric guitar; and Shawn
Maxfield, 24, of Sterling playing electric guir
tar. "Ifeej honored to be here," said Seisser,
who plays bass in the Rolling Meadows
Jazz Band. 'There's a lot of musical energy
here?' Each guitarist played a three-minute solo;
They performed for the audience, fcs well as
a panel of three professional judges. They
included Steve Kikoen, owner of the Guitar
Studio of Arlington Heights; John Monaco,
lead guitarist with the band Enuf s Enuf;
and Lane Kerr,: a representative from .
Fender Music Co. Judges looked at their
. originality, creativity, technique, performance,
stage presence, continuity and
audience reaction.
'1 don't expect to win, but I'm trying to
show people that classical guitar can hold
its own in this Mhd of competition," Danz •
said. "Classical guitars are sqrt of thought
of as the ugly stepsister of guitars, but it
really .does have a beautiful place in music."
Three of the four finalists played a varied
repertoire, mixing styles and versatility in
their segment. Only Maxfield played a song
from beginning to end. . .
On his neon yellow Ibanez Jem guitar,
designed by famed guitarist Steve Vai, Maxfield
played a hip variation of the national
anthem. He went on to be named the win-
ner, followed by Danz and Schnitman and
Seisser who tied for third place. "
"I'm shocked," said Maxfield, a computer
serviceman by day. 'Tna not in a band or
anything, I write music and play guitar. I
just like to play." Guitar Center officials
thought his selection for the store title was
fitting. Beyond showcasing talented guitarists,
they see the showdown as a way to
bring more musicians in. "We want to let
guitar players know that this is the place for
them to come," said sales clerk Paul Buschbacher.
"We want them to feel like they can
come in here to play