#1691460 - 08/09/09 06:59 PM
AutoFest 2009 Coverage
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TtownCLS
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Team SoundDomain
Registered: 02/11/08
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Written by Steven Street
I watch the stage in anticipation as I relax back into my seat; I was told this is going to be a great show. Within seconds I hear it, the beat of the Roland Drum Machine and as if by magic the band is now on stage. Daryl Stuermer’s fingers battle the guitar. Hearing his fingers slide across the fret board causing the strings to pierce the air with their scream makes me sit up a little more and stare at the stage intently. I can hear when he changes notes, not the sound of the note; I hear his finger’s jumping from string to string. Cue the vocals and Phil Collins steps onto stage and my private concert begins.
The song? “In the Air Tonight” from the 1981 album “Face Value”. The stage? The dashboard of a 2003 Acura 3.2 CL Type S, owned by SQL World Champion Robert Petty. It is Sunday night after the close of Autofest 2009 and Robert has agreed to let me listen to perhaps the most amazing concert in a car ever. Before this weekend it was inconceivable to me that a person could sit in a car, close their eyes and swear they were front row center at any concert they want.
How does an average Joe such as me end up in the front seat of an award winning car listening to a sound system assembled by a world champion? I have to thank the one and only Tony Goza, owner of Sound Creations in Durant, OK. When you take Tony’s love and passion for all things car audio, combine it with his unstoppable desire to put on a premier event, it is then possible for you to share in his vision of the best car show around; Autofest 2009.
Autofest 2009 cannot be defined as an Audio Show, a Car Show, or even a Motorcycle Show. It is all of this and more rolled into one fabulous event that spanned two days of fine vehicles, monster engines, awesome car audio and some of the greatest minds on the circuit. This included the chance to meet the legendary Alma Gates, a pioneer in the industry that changed how competitors approached the customization of a sound vehicle, be it SPL or SQL. Also in the lineup were Andy Jones, Brian Murph, Mark Eldridge and Robert Petty. I assure you I am not just name dropping either, I actually had the chance to sit and absorb a ton of great conversation filled with information and stories that had my attention the whole time. I can tell you this, before meeting this group of people I owned no car stereo (as defined by them). After I met them, I still did not own a car stereo, but now I was sad about it. This crowd really loves audio and it is really easy to see why someone would want to do this for a living.
Tony started his business, “Sound Creations” because he loves audio and he loves perfecting it. In addition to all of this, Tony has made it his personal goal to make sure every customer he can reach has the chance to hear audio the way he does. He does this by offering products from the finest lines in the market and more importantly Tony educates his customers, personally.
Hang around Tony long enough and you will hear him say “Anyone can be a vending machine; it takes someone special to sell you the right product”. Tony proves this time and time again when his customers walk in to make a purchase and he does everything he can to ensure the customer walks out with what they need. I have personally seen him stop what he was doing and spend 30 – 45 minutes talking with a customer finding out what they are trying to achieve and then informing them of what the best route to reach their goals. The beauty of this is he does not stop at just telling you about a product, he will pull out magazines, literature, and hop on the internet to show you reviews and facts to support what he is telling you. He is able to do this because Tony is constantly educating himself on any and everything on the market, all to ensure he can give his customer’s the best experience possible.
Knowing all of this is why I got excited when I heard that Tony would be putting together a car show. Right away, I know that it is going to be an event that sets a high precedence for all events to follow. The bar was set pretty high from the get go when it was announced that the event would be held at the Choctaw Casino’s Event Center. This would be in an indoor and outdoor show hosting events of all kinds; this was going to be huge.
Saturday morning brought rainstorms that would flood the streets of Durant, OK. This might be discouraging for anyone else, however Tony had made it possible for everyone contributing to Autofest 2009 to keep a positive outlook and trust that people would still show up. They did, in droves. The rain and storms lasted for a good part of the morning however the storms soon gave way to sunshine and blue skies.
While the weather did alter the plans of many, there were still many more that were unaffected by this small obstacle. After all, a big part of this is an inside venue complete with AC! Saturday would see the event center fill up with a few thousand visitors who came to see all of the top quality vehicles and visit with all of the owners. The atmosphere at this event was one of the most positive experiences one could expect. From the spectators to the contestants everyone came together and discussed the things they loved, “Everything Auto”.
A big highlight for Saturday was the burnout. The Durant Fire Department was on hand to ensure a safe environment for the hundreds of people gathered outside to watch as vehicles let their engines roar into action burning the rubber off their tires. The mighty engines of these vehicles created clouds of smoke that made it impossible to see the person next to you. The crowds burst into a thunderous roar cheering for the vehicles to give it their all. The louder the crowds cheered, the harder drivers pushed their vehicles which in turn gained a bigger response from the crowd and so went the cycle. It was a crowd pleasing favorite that will be highly anticipated at the next Autofest.
The rest of the weekend was filled with strong competition only rivaled by the strong camaraderie felt by all who participated in Autofest 2009. All in all there were a total of 17 different classes that were given awards by MECA. MECA is the outside judging body that made this event all that more impressive and official. MECA judges came in from Nashville and other parts of the country for the two day event and worked very hard to provide everyone the best experience possible. The MECA judges put on a show of their own with all of the grand trophies they brought that filled most of the stage in a beautiful arrangement that could only be accomplished by seasoned professionals.
I walked around the whole venue many, many, many times over the weekend and I heard not one negative word about the event. All of the contestants were happy with the spectators and the spectators were even bragging on how cordial and inviting the contestants were when showing their cars. This huge event brought testimonials from top people in the industry stating this was a very prestigious show producing some of the largest amounts of foot traffic they had ever seen. It is truly a show to remember for a long time to come- at least until the next Autofest.
This was the first show of many to come and I would like to thank Tony Goza of Sound Creations in Durant, OK for making all of this possible. While it is true that none of this could of happened without the help of “ALL” who contributed, the chance for everyone to work together would have never been realized were it not for one man’s love, passion, and vision for where he would like to see the industry go. Thank you Tony, for the chance to take part in what will be one of the biggest events around.
As an after note I would like to tell you that this article does not nearly do justice to what all went on at Autofest 2009. It was truly a great show with a lot of events and it will be happening again. For more information on what went on at Autofest, when to expect the next one and to learn all about car audio please join the forums and visit http://www.autofest09.com
Hope to see you at the next one!
Steven Street
________________________
Catching the world one frame at a time.
Some pics from the show.....
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#1691473 - 08/09/09 07:25 PM
Re: AutoFest 2009 Coverage
[Re: TtownCLS]
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IamMurph
Retired
[ADMIN]
Registered: 10/30/01
Posts: 35559
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Great, now I feel like a tool for not listening to Robert's car and I never finished the demo in Andy's car.
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#1709561 - 09/23/09 01:32 PM
Re: AutoFest 2009 Coverage
[Re: IamMurph]
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jasonkip
SD Newbie
Registered: 09/13/09
Posts: 13
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Terrific review. I for one am looking up the next show!
_________________________
Two bowls.
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#1712681 - 09/30/09 04:25 PM
Re: AutoFest 2009 Coverage
[Re: jasonkip]
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Sound Creations
SD Newbie
Registered: 08/04/09
Posts: 5
Loc: Oklahoma
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October 24th is our next show. It is part of the
New Autofest Points Series. Were using MECA and I really like their format and the fact they are about quality vs quantity, and want to make it fun for everyone.
This will be a one day show, however there will be Cash Prizes this time through Choctaw Casino- YEAH!!!
But over all, I am excited about the "Good Spirit" in the competitors that were at the last show.
For more info on Autofest goto http://www.autofestcentral.com
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