BOSS Loop Station World Championship 3: U.S. National Finals

“Super Tall Paul” Newman Tops a Field of Six Talented Loopers at Musicians Institute

Loop Station World Championship 3 (photo)

“Super Tall Paul” Newman

BOSS recently held the U.S. National Finals for the Loop Station World Championship 3, its third-annual search to find the world’s top looping artist. Six talented contestants competed at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, on October 20, 2012, with “Super Tall Paul” Newman coming out on top as the U.S. Champion. The victory earned him $3,000 in BOSS gear, plus the honor to represent the United States at the world finals in January 2013.

Now in its third year, the BOSS Loop Station World Championship provides an opportunity for BOSS loop artists to showcase their musical talents on a global stage. Competitions are held in many different countries around the world, with the national winners going on to compete with each other at the international finals. The final showdown will take place during the 2013 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

The six U.S. finalists were chosen from hundreds of video submissions received by BOSS during the summer of 2012. Each performed an original composition by singing, playing various instruments, and creating live loops with a BOSS RC-series Loop Station product.

In the MI Concert Hall, the loopers played before a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges, which included Billy Idol guitarist and Camp Freddy founder Billy Morrison; TAXI founder Michael Laskow; noted keyboardist and Musicians Institute staff member Lisa Harriton; and BOSS/Roland guitar product manager Gary Lenaire. The event was also streamed live on the web on GuitarTV.com, with viewers offering real-time comments via Twitter. Chris Halon, Director of Product Management for Roland U.S., served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Loop Station World Championship 3 (photo)

L to R: Gary Lenaire (BOSS), DJ Berlin (2nd place),
“Super Tall Paul” Newman (1st Place), HeaveN Beatbox (3rd Place).

All six loop artists wowed the judges and audience with performances that were polished, inventive, and exciting. The music presented ranged from traditional singer/songwriter material to beatboxing to wildly experimental sounds featuring unique vocals and heavy effects processing. Most of all, the performances spotlighted the enormous power of BOSS Loop Stations when under the command of creative musical minds.

While most of the artists employed a wide range of effects processors from BOSS to embellish the vocal and instrumental sounds in their loops and live playing, one talented beatboxer— Steven Cantor, aka HeaveN Beatbox, from Alpharetta, Georgia—used only a microphone and a single RC-20XL Loop Station to deliver a wide-ranging and extremely impressive onslaught of sound.

However, when all the looping was done, it was Newman’s eclectic, spirited performance featuring beatboxing, ukulele, sax, flute, nose whistle, singing, and dancing that won over the judges to earn him the top spot. The Hollywood-based street performer, musician, and magician presented a charming and inviting stage persona while building a loops on his RC-50 Loop Station and processing sounds in real time with BOSS GT-10B, OC-3, and CS-3 effects.  

Belgin Urgusu, aka DJ Berlin, of Baltimore, Maryland, took Second Place and $2,000 in BOSS gear, while HeaveN Beatbox earned Third Place honors and $1,000 in BOSS gear.

The other finalists included Vox Machina ("Mister Tim" Jones and Matt Murphy) of Longmont, Colorado; Robert Williamson of Dublin, Georgia; and Danny Watson of Cincinnati, Ohio.

In addition to seeing some unique and impressive looping performances, the in-house live audience had the opportunity to participate in a random drawing, with many members winning valuable BOSS and Roland gear throughout the evening.

You can check out highlights from the national finals below. To view a video archive of the GuitarTV.com web stream—which includes full performances, gear rundowns, interviews, judges’ comments, and more—and get info about the upcoming international finals, visit the BOSS Loop Station World Championship website.