Guitarist's concerts to benefit SEMO Baptist Student Center

Dr. Bruce Gentry considers it a blessing and an opportunity to have guitarist Mark Kroos perform two benefit concerts in Cape Girardeau this week.

Gentry, director and chairman of Bible at the Southeast Missouri State University Baptist Student Center, said the opportunity fell into the center's lap.

"It's cool how things turned out," Gentry said.

Kroos, an acoustic guitarist, will perform two benefit concerts, the first at the Baptist Student Center at 7 p.m. Tuesday and the second at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau.

Kroos uses a tapping technique that involves both hands fretting the strings. In regular guitar technique, one hand is used to fret the strings and the other is used to strum or pick. He said he had been playing the guitar for 12 years before he tried to do anything with his right hand.

"It is a good playing angle," Kroos said. "The notes resound a lot louder than with the left hand."

He has been using this technique for about five years, but only began using it on the double-neck guitar three years ago.

Last year, Kroos competed in Guitar Player magazine's 2011 International Guitar Superstar Competition in Nashville where he and five other competitors each played one original composition for the contest judges. Kroos took first place with his piece "Flight Attempt."

"It has been a huge blessing for the past year," Kroos said. "It pushed my guitar career forward."

Kroos attended Bowling Green State University's School of Music from 2004 to 2006, where he studied jazz and guitar performance. However, he later left the school to tour with his ska/punk band, The Argonauts. After the band stopped touring in 2009, Kroos began teaching and playing the acoustic guitar.

He released his debut solo album "And Grace Will Lead Me Home" in January 2010. He later released the four-track vocal EP, "The Sound of Snow," in January 2011.

"Two years is way too long to go without releasing a full-length album," Kroos said.

However, he has been on tour for the past two years, playing about 100 to 150 dates a year.

"Writing goes on the back burner," Kroos said.

Both of Kroos' upcoming benefit concerts in Cape Girardeau will be free, but any donations received will benefit the Martha and Mary Project. The name was taken from the story of Martha and Mary in the New Testament.

"Benefit concerts are always fantastic," Kroos said.

According to Gentry the project aims to remodel the Baptist Student Center. Gentry hopes to raise the minimum amount to begin the first phase of the project in May. He wants to make the center more of a home away from home space for the students.

"One of our missions is Christian hospitality to students," Gentry said.

The center contains a television area, gathering room and an eating area connected to a kitchen. Gentry said the remodeling project will focus on the student kitchen.

ajones@semissourian.com

388-3654