Slash Chooses State Line Empire as Guitar Center's "Your Next Record" Winners

Guitar Center and Slash have announced San Mateo, California’s State Line Empire as the winners of Guitar Center Presents Your Next Record with Slash, a first-of-its-kind unsigned band competition. After sifting more than 12,000 entries, Guitar Center and Slash hand-picked State Line Empire to receive the ultimate career-altering opportunity: record a three-song EP with legendary producer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth) and have Slash write, record and perform on their single. State Line Empire will also receive a prize package that includes a management development deal with The Collective, feature single on iTunes, worldwide distribution of music through TuneCore, $10,000 Guitar Center Shopping Spree, new gear and endorsement deals from Ernie Ball Music Man, an opening slot on Slash’s Monster Energy Bash and an editorial feature on the in Guitar World Magazine.

“Earlier this year, Guitar Center and I set out to find a great unsigned rock & roll band with a lot of energy and some great songs and take them to the next level,” said Slash. “I’m proud to announce that that band is State Line Empire. They’re the real deal and we’re going to be hearing some fantastic rock & roll from them in the near future. I cannot wait to get in the studio with them.”

"I can't even put into words how awesome it was to get a call from one the greatest guitarists of all time to tell us we’d won Guitar Center Presents Your Next Record,” said David Pearl, bassist for State Line Empire. “A lot of people have told us that they love our music and we appreciate their support so much but to hear Slash say that our band is ‘rad’ was something that I will never forget. We’re incredibly grateful to Guitar Center for giving undiscovered bands like State Line Empire such an amazing opportunity."

Hailing from San Mateo, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, State Line Empire formed in 2009 and after a whirlwind first few months of songwriting, Tyson Yen, Dave Pearl and Cat found that an exciting chemistry had emerged and the band was born.