(Okoboji) -- An up-and-coming high school musician received special statewide recognition this past weekend.
Malvern resident and Glenwood High School student Jack Davis was named the individual artist winner of the Iowa Rocks Talent Contest, which was part of the Iowa Rock n' Roll Music Association's festivities at Arnolds Park over the Labor Day weekend. The Basement out of Omaha was named the winner of the contest's "group" category. Currently a junior at Glenwood High School, the 16-year-old Davis tells KMA News he was a little surprised, but honored to be named the winner of the contest.
"You don't really go into it expecting to win, but it was really cool," said Davis. "I was kind of shocked at first and then a little nervous. Because, if you win that, you open up the induction concert at the Roof Garden Ballroom the next night. So, it was kind of cool to take a step back, look at that, and be excited for that."
Before the finals at Arnolds Park this past weekend, contestants from across the state submitted video auditions. Davis says he was encouraged by Rick Hillyard to submit an entry.
"So we went and recorded a few videos in his studio and submitted those to the Iowa Rock n' Roll Music Association," said Davis. "From there, it's kind of a waiting game and once we got an email back, we booked hotel rooms and went from there."
Davis has performed throughout southwest Iowa at various venues, including the Art Church in Malvern and the Depot in Shenandoah, which he says play a vital role in supporting live music and musicians in the region. He adds that a love for music from his parents also got him into the rock n' roll genre.
"My dad's always been big into music, so I listened to a lot of the music that he listens to," said Davis. "Zack Jones is a huge one and I definitely wouldn't have what I have without Zack. He was one of the first that let me play in his venues, and he's never really stopped inviting me out to his venues and his festivals."
Davis says he does plenty of covers as a soloist, including works from Tom Petty, The Lumineers, and Fleetwood Mac, in addition to original compositions. He says one of his favorite originals to perform is "Mountains in my Rear View."
"I kind of got the idea for that when I was driving home from Colorado," he said. "I took this picture of the mountains in in the rear view and kind of came up with this like 'weekend love story' in my head. I ran over to my guitar the second I got home and was like, 'I need to do something with this.' So, that one sticks out--I just love the mountains and it kind of feels like home to me."
As part of winning the individual artist category, Davis will also get studio time and a chance to record some of those original compositions with Catamount Recording out of Cedar Falls. Davis follows up other local musicians shining in the contest, such as Drew Morelock, who won the solo category last year, and Shenandoah-based rock group Gas n' Grass, which won the group event in 2023.