NASHVILLE, MAY 7, 2020 – KRK Systems announces Lemek Yisrael as the Grand Prize winner of the First Annual KRK Guitar Solo Contest. A young accomplished guitar player from New Orleans, Yisrael was thrilled to recently be awarded with the contest’s grand prize, an Epiphone Uptown Kat ES guitar.

The Guitar Solo Contest, presented by KRK, was a light-hearted, and very well-received, company initiative for this year’s NAMM Show. During each of the four days at the show, 12 individuals had 15 minutes to choose a Gibson, Epiphone or Kramer guitar, practice a short piece of music and record one live take of their solo performance. The contestants’ performances were played live to NAMM-goers through KRK ROKIT G4 10-3 Studio Monitors and winners were chosen by a Gibson panel toward the end of each day. Word of the contest spread quickly as each daily winner took home a new pair of KRK’s ROKIT G4 RP5 White Noise Studio Monitors and KNS8400 Headphones. 

Following the show, a panel of judges from Loudwire.com, a digital publication with a focus on hard rock and heavy metal, ranked each winning solo performance and named Yisrael, who performed his solo on a Kramer, as the 2020 grand prize winner. “I get awestruck when I listen to my favorite movie themes or soundtracks, and they inspire me to write more and continue coming up with new, creative musical ideas,” says Yisrael. “I am currently working on my debut album to be released later this year, and I’m grateful and excited to be able to rely on my new KRK ROKIT G4s and Epiphone guitar for the recordings. I am a huge fan of the Gibson family of brands and I’m honored to take the grand prize title for the company’s first-ever Guitar Solo Contest.”

Yisrael is a diverse musician with a wide array of influences, including Charlie Parra, Syu (Galneryus), Stevie Ray Vaughan and, above all, his father, Quintin Gerard W, a jazz saxophonist. Growing up in a musical family, Yisrael fell in love with funk and R&B. As he got older, Yisrael’s musical interests expanded to more technical material, such as prog-metal, power metal, jazz fusion and classical. Some of his favorite modern artists include Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Zedd. Yisrael’s goals are to continue making music and ultimately to compose music for movies and video games.  

About KRK Systems:

Over the past three decades, KRK Systems, part of the Gibson Pro Audio division, has become synonymous with quality design and unparalleled performance in the world of studio monitors, subwoofers and headphones. KRK offers products that meet the diverse needs of home studios and professional studios alike no matter the style of music or application. For more information, visit www.krksys.com.

About Gibson: 

Gibson Brands, the world’s most iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for more than 100 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the number one guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, Steinberger and Gibson Pro Audio division brands Cerwin Vega, KRK Systems and Stanton. Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation and sound excellence so that music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. Learn more at www.gibson.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.