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Contact Carrie for entry details at carrie@gpkartways.com

HISTORY
GUITAR WARS began as a small series of single night shows in late 2008 with 25 local indie talent bands culminating for a meagre prize of $1,000 cash to the best and brightest. GUITAR WARS quickly erupted into one of Canada’s premier band competitions with a first prize of $10,000 in cash and prizing as well as one of the country’s largest cash and prize payouts of over $35,000. GUITAR WARS now hosts over 150 bands and musicians competing each year through preliminary shows, wild card rounds, completing with a massive final show at THE GARAGE concert hall. Musical acts are judged by industry professionals with the goal of this competition based series to showcase these local indie talents to recording agencies/managers as well as getting some much needed funding to aid these musicians with recording time, vocal lessons, equipment needs, and brand development. Each year since its inauguration, GUITAR WARS has seen its champion move on to a recording contract and a new journey in their musical careers. Invermere, Sundown, and Into Exile are only three of many talents that have been given these opportunities through the GUITAR WARS program.

VENUE
Each year, GUITAR WARS hosts its preliminary, wild card, and final shows at THE GARAGE concert hall located in north Toronto inside GRAND PRIX KARTWAYS. THE GARAGE is a state of the art facility nestled inside Canada’s largest urban green space known as Downsview Park. This once military base and aircraft manufacturing hangar has been converted into Toronto’s top sports and event complexes. THE GARAGE concert hall itself has a large spectator occupancy, 3 foot tall double raised professional stage, concert lighting, pool tables, casual seating, and amazing acoustic sound profile. Each indie act is professionally catered to with pre and post show private Green Room access, meals, and non alcoholic beverages provided. THE GARAGE also supplies all the needed equipment and sound technicians required for a professional atmosphere and performance. The concert hall itself is brand new and of high quality in comparison to the standard “run down hole in the wall” type venue most indie bands/artists are subject to. The facility is also fully licensed and all ages accessible with a gigantic list of side activities and amenities for its patrons to enjoy. The Garage also is the leader in bands/artists hosting their own shows on site for little or no cost allowing artists to make money on ticket sales effectively allowing them to book and get paid running their own shows. Turn pro on your own terms! Check out the venue and more details at www.thegarageconcerthall.com

2011 GUITAR WARS and ROCKSTAR: Covers Edition
For 2011, GUITAR WARS has once again expanded due to such high demand and volume of interest. We have now branched out into four separate categories within the GUITAR WARS competition
FORMAT: Each entry will showcase their talents in a single forty minute set during one of many preliminary shows throughout 2011. Bands/artists are scored by judges based on their own ORIGINAL music. Entrants are required to play at least two or three original and unique songs to advance and are scored on MUSICIANSHIP, TECHNICAL SKILLS, SONG WRITING ABILITY, and STAGE PRESENCE. Each winner of a preliminary show will advance directly to the finals weekend held at the end of 2011. The top half remaining high scorers are invited back to play in our WILD CARD round during the month of November 2011. All entrants are able to retry to qualify for advancement if unsuccessful through another preliminary show if they wish.
CATEGORIES:
GUITAR WARS will return once again in 2011 bigger and better and just as in past years is a competition based on ORIGINAL music created by the entrant. GUITAR WARS is truly a search and showcase for this country’s next top hidden indie talents and garage band/artist.
ROCKSTAR is one of three new competition segments added for 2011. The category will cater to bands/artists who wish to perform ONLY COVER music. Many young talents still honing their musical skills have not yet developed original song writing capabilities or are more interested in the sole passion of on stage performing and singing. This category will score entrants based on authentic representation of their covers from playing skills to stage dress and showmanship and/or playing cover music in different and unique genres than their normal context.
AXE GOD is our second new off chute of GUITAR WARS where we will turn our search into this country’s individually most skilled guitar player. Band members and individual artists will compete on stage during a short two minute solo session where they will showcase their prowess and skill on their guitar. Technical ability and finger work is the star of this event
AXE HERO is our digital version of the AXE GOD competition. Anyone attending the show from band members/artists to public patrons in attendance watching the shows will test their guitar skills head to head on the virtual gaming stage of the XBOX console’s GUITAR HERO video game. AXE HERO will crown Canada’s best virtual guitar player and gaming bragging rights.