When Darla Drew Lerdal decided to ask Bobby Rasch to be in Guitar Masters 2008, she was surprised when he agreed to do it.

"People said, 'No way, Bob won't play,'" said Lerdal, Backroom Productions executive board president. "I called Bobby, and he said, 'Yeah, that sounds like fun.'"

Lerdal had known of Rasch since he was 10 and playing drums for the band Family Affair, which Rasch's father put together with instruments he bought at a pawn shop. By the time Rasch was 12, he was playing guitar, trying to master songs by Metallica and the Beatles.

"Any music that was good, I would try to figure out the melody," he said.

Rasch made a name for himself as a member of local rock band Dust N Roxx from 1993 to 2004. Since then, he has played a few gigs with Another Brick, a Pink Floyd tribute band.

"Nobody gets to see him that much anymore," Lerdal said.

She remembers Rasch's youthful enthusiasm on the instrument. "He would regularly break strings, which is not something you'd aspire to. … But he would be playing with such feeling," she said. "It was interesting to see a young person play with that passion."

For his part, Rasch, 33, is ready for Guitar Masters, which puts five regional guitarists on stage together in a round-robin format. In addition to Rasch, Guitar Masters 2008 will feature Dick Rausis, Randy Royer, Gordy Pratt and Matt Berry.

"I feel pretty honored to be asked to do this," Rasch said. "Any expectations I have, I just hope to do well."

Lerdal looks at Guitar Masters as presenting different challenges for each player. She is looking forward to seeing how each player interacts with the others and how the players' age span and various guitar styles affect the performances.

"Dick Rausis is a first-rate jazz player. I don't think people around here know him," Lerdal said. And Royer is a professor of music and jazz band at Black Hills State University.

Together, they make up an accomplished jazz duo in the Northern Hills. "I want to see what they can do separately," Lerdal said.

Pratt's playing is sometimes overshadowed by his comic stage persona, but he is literally a guitar master. "He has a master's in guitar," she said, "He's an incredible player."

Berry is not as well-known in the area. After high school in Spearfish, he went to South Dakota State University on a football scholarship, Lerdal said. But he got into music and is now a "hired gun" in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

"He told me that some of the highest-paying shows in the Cities are for churches," Lerdal said. He also played for Lorie Line's holiday tour for three years and for the Broadway show "Chicago," among other notable gigs.

Previous Guitar Masters players, such as Norman Liota and Jalan Crossland, have gone on to become audience draws in their own right.

During the show, the guitarists take turns playing, going around the stage several times.

Rasch said he hasn't played with any of the guitarists he'll share the stage with, but that he's interested in hearing them play. And he's planning to kick out the stops for his performance.

"I'm going to do my own thing and my own style of play," he said, "I just want to rock it down and rock the house a little bit."

The evening often culminates in a jam session with all of the guitarists. "It's a great mashup of different styles," Lerdal said, "It's going to be good, and it's going to be diverse. It is just really an homage to guitar, and the great players we have here."

If you go

What: Backroom Productions' Guitar Masters 2008 featuring Randy Royer, Dick Rausis, Bobby Rasch, Gordy Pratt and Matt Berry.

When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23

Where: The Journey Museum theater

Cost: Tickets are $16 and available at the Dahl Arts Center and The Journey Museum.

Contact Eric Lochridge at 394-8321 or eric.lochridge@rapidcityjournal.com.