LEXINGTON, Ohio — Jeff Ritz of Ashland has a solid start to pursuing his dream of a career in music after winning the Rising Stars at Bucks singing competition Monday night at Bucks Bar and Grill.
As winner of the competition, the 22-year-old disc jockey earned a cash prize, $2,500 worth of recording time with producer, Rusty Yanok, and a chance to sing the National Anthem at one of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course races and at the Blueberry Festival.
“Music is the only thing I know,” he said.
The self-taught musician has been singing and writing songs for the past 11 years. He plays guitar, harmonica and piano.
“I really want to get my lyrics out there,” he said.
He said he draws inspiration from the band, Green Day. “I give them a lot of credit for why I play music,” he said.
Appropriately, he played Green Day’s song, “Good Riddance” for his final performance.
At Monday night’s competition, he competed against Molly Brown of Ashland and Colby Landin of Galion. Brown came in third place and Landin was the runner-up.
Though they fell short of the grand prize, both Landin and Brown were excited to have participated in Rising Stars, both saying it was an “awesome experience.”
Jai Merina, winner of last year’s competition, served as the special guest performer Monday night.
Rising Stars at Bucks, formerly known as “Lexington Idol,” just finished its second season, which launched in the beginning of March with 12 contestants.
This competition is open to anyone 12 and older and gives local talent a platform to showcase their skills to a live audience.
“What the contestants get out of this is amazing. It can change their lives,” said Lisa Sleeckx, co-owner of Bucks Bar and Grill.
She added, “This is something positive for the community that you don’t really see anywhere else.”
Marc Sleeckx, fellow co-owner of Bucks Bar and Grill, said that he and his wife are invested in the community, noting, “We want to give back and people really support us.”
Lisa Sleeckx said the competition, which was originally going to be a bi-annual event, will now be an annual event. Auditions for the next season of Rising Stars at Bucks begin in August, with the competition slated to start in March of 2016. For more information, visit the Bucks Bar and Grill website or Facebook page.
