Above & Beyond Names Ricky Mears Winner of Guitar Center's Cover Me Program

Guitar Center, the world's largest instrument retailer, in partnership with GRAMMY nominated supergroup Above & Beyond, announced Miami-based EDM artist Ricky Mears as the winner of Guitar Center's Cover Me program.

Following on the heels of Above & Beyond's 2016 acoustic album release, the Cover Me program asked musicians to reinterpret their music and bring it to life in a new way. Cover Me called on EDM artists from across the country to remix the group's hit song "Blue Sky Action" via their own personal video submission. Each individual rendition was judged by Guitar Center's Judging Panel and Above & Beyond based on technique, authenticity, originality, and style. After reviewing hundreds of submissions, artist Ricky Mears' submission video was ultimately chosen, awarding the deserving young talent with coveted Grand Prizes including an in-studio mentorship with Above & Beyond, $10,000, state-of-the-art Guitar Center gear, and a feature in Beatport.

Based in Miami, Ricky Mears is a DJ, Producer, and Vocalist that extracts influences from musicians including Brand New, Bassnectar and Skrillex, and seamlessly combines them with the island influences inspired by his childhood in Haiti. Mears' work can be heard via his SoundCloud channel and on Facebook.

"I have so much respect for Above & Beyond that being hand - picked by them to win a remix competition is one of the greatest accomplishments in my musical career. I look forward to making music with them and I am so grateful that Guitar Center gave me this opportunity!" - Ricky Mears, Winner of Guitar Center's Cover Me with Above & Beyond

"We are very humbled by the number of entries for our Blue Sky Action 'CoverMe' program with Guitar Center. After much deliberation over a rather impressive shortlist of talented performers and producers, Ricky Mears from Miami stood out. 'Vibey' is the word we would use. We look forward to meeting Ricky and working with him!" - Above & Beyond

"We were impressed by the number of outstanding submissions we received as part of Guitar Center's Cover Me program and thrilled to partner with Above & Beyond who share our passion for supporting emerging EDM talent and encouraging artists to find their own, unique sound. Ricky Mears is an extremely talented EDM artist and we look forward to watching his career grow." - Manager of Music Marketing + Artist Relations at Guitar Center, Jake Cheung

For more information on Guitar Center's Cover Me program, visit AboveAndBeyond.com.

About Above & Beyond:
Over their four critically acclaimed studio albums, along with their acoustic project, Above & Beyond have continually been celebrated for placing real musicianship and songwriting at the heart of what they do. While their famed club mixes have resonated with the dance generation, the songs behind them have touched fans of all ages across the globe. As influenced as much by Jeff Buckley or Bon Iver as they are by their deep love of electronic music, Above & Beyond's songs and lyrics have been sung back to them at the world's biggest stadiums and stages from Alexandra Palace, to Madison Square Garden, to LA's Forum, to their famed one million people gig at Barra Beach in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. For more, visit Aboveandbeyond.nu, or follow them on Facebook: Facebook.com/aboveandbeyond, Twitter: Twitter.com/aboveandbeyond, and Instagram: Instagram.com/aboveandbeyond.

About Guitar Center:
Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards, recording, live sound, DJ, and lighting equipment. With more than 270 stores across the U.S. and one of the top direct sales websites in the industry, Guitar Center has helped people make music for more than 50 years. In addition, Guitar Center's sister brands include Music & Arts, which operates more than 140 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students, and Musician's Friend, a leading direct marketer of musical instruments in the United States. With an unrivalled in-store experience, an industry-leading online presence and passionate commitment to making gear easy-to-buy, Guitar Center is all about enabling musicians and non-musicians alike to experience the almost indescribable joy that comes from playing an instrument. For more information about Guitar Center, please visit www.guitarcenter.com.

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