GUITAR GODS: Jon Butcher

The year was 1983, the channel is MTV, and the camera pans right to left....bass player, drummer, and then settles on the guitarist for a moment as the caption appears in the lower left of the screen: Jon Butcher Axis, "Life Takes a Life". I pause, because the song moves from quasi-Terminator tech rock to open, airy chords over a steady underlying bass/drum pulse. Then the vocal comes in, which is unique, but at the moment I'm only hearing the subtle and very interesting guitar work - fills and textures and tonal coloring. The song moves through interesting stages, a post-chorus shift, a deep blues-based but contemporary guitar solo, and then fades out...and I'm mesmerized.

Worthy of note: 1983 is the year of SRV's "Texas Flood" and Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" in addition to the debut of Jon Butcher Axis, so when Butcher was in the studio, there were no mainstream precedents for his bluesy guitar approach or fearless guitar tone explorations. But when the album hit the streets, Jon was on a short list of new players alongside Stevie Ray and Steve Stevens and Brian Setzer who dared NOT to cop Van Halen licks and party rock compositions on the rock music landscape.

That fearless approach ultimately led to 7 Top 40 singles across his first 5 studio albums, world tours with acts like J. Geils Band, Scorpians, Def Leppard, Rush, INXS, and more, national TV appearances, and a 1986 Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Instrumental" in the song "The Ritual" (alongside songs by Yngwie Malmsteen, the aforementioned Stevie Ray Vaughan, & Jeff Beck).

GUITAR GODS - Lawrence Juber

I first heard Laurence Juber when he performed Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" on Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night (other guests at that performance include Peppino D'Agostino, Alex DeGrassi, Ed Gerhard, Phil Keaggy, Preston Reed, and more). Needless to say, I was blown away! I had to find out more about this amazing guitarist!

Turns out Laurence, who started playing before his teens, earned a music degree at London's Goldsmith College and immediately become a session guitarist, playing on countless projects, including the music for the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me".

In 1978, he joined Paul McCartney's band Wings, recorded on their "Back to the Egg" album, and hit the road for their UK tour. He picked up a Grammy Award when Wings took the Best Instrumental Rock for "Rockestra Theme" (he speaks about his time with Paul below).

After Wings, he moved to the US and his sessions include pop albums to TV shows to films, from "Dirty Dancing" to "Happy Days", and in 2005 picked up his second Grammy Award for his instrumental guitar version of "The Pink Panther" theme.

26 solo albums, instructional videos, a signature guitar from Martin, a book, and countless concerts later, Laurence Juber is still going strong. 2017 saw another album of Beatles classics and this year he re-released his 1979 album "Standard Time", and he's hitting the concert stage again.

Find Lawrence Juber on-line HERE.

I had a chance to speak with Mr. Juber recently. Check it out!

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GUITAR GODS - Al DiMeola

"THEY SAY you're pretty much the best at what you do..." - David Letterman, 1980, interviewing then 26 year old Al Di Meola....

I first became aware of Al Di Meola as a teen. I'd spent hours trying to learn riffs from '70s rockers, and thought I'd heard everything the guitar could do. And then, a late December evening, I turned on the TV, scrolled through our 3 channels, found nothing, and switched to the local PBS station before giving up....only to see 3 men holding guitars on stage. What I witnessed (the concert that would become "Friday Night in San Fransisco" - see video below) was earth-shattering and mind-blowing and took me a long time to get my head around. I'd never seen anyone do what they did. Never heard anyone make those glorious sounds. The influence changed my life.

Al Di Meola has been having this effect on listeners for decades.

From his early Grammy winning work with Return to Forever (alongside legends Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White) to his electric-based solo albums, to his explosion into acoustic music, to his collaborations with everyone from flamenco god Paco DeLucia to classical legend Liona Boyd, to "jazz princess" Aziza Mustafa Zadeh to progressive rock keyboard master Derek Sherinian to his "Rite of Strings" with bassist Stanley Clarke and fusion violinist Jean Luc Ponty to so many more, Di Meola has been a trail-blazing musician and guitarist for 40 years.

Al's technique is other-worldly, his expression soul-searing, his compositions kaleidoscopically wondrous, and his rhythmic mastery the stuff of legend.

With 2 new albums out (a live 2017 collection "Morocco Fantasia" and 2018 studio work "Opus"), Al Di Meola hasn't even begun to slow down.

Find him on-line HERE!

I had a chance to speak with Mr. Di Meola recently. Check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Meshell Ndegeocello

Its 1993, and my brother Joshua says "You gotta hear Meshell Ndegeocello." Who? "Just do it."

I buy her debut album, "Plantation Lullabies", and.....all bets are off. From "I'm Diggin' You (Like an Old Soul Record)" to "Dred Loc" to "Call Me" to "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", I was hooked. Buttery smooth and funky with stellar delivery...I had to hear more.

And more came.

From more solo albums (12 in all, counting her soon-to-be-released album "Ventriloquism")to collaborations with everyone from John Mellencamp to Herbie Hancock, Madonna to Chaka Khan, Alanis Morissette to the Rolling Stones. And movie soundtracks like "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and "Batman and Robin". And television and guest album appearances and world tours and various accolades (she has been credited with starting the neo soul movement, for example, and her albums ranking on many "best of..." lists) and music clinics and Grammy nominations and more still.

Bassist, songwriter, singer, rapper, and so much more...all at the highest levels. Artists like her just don't appear every day.

Visit Meshell at her website and catch her on tour.

I had a chance to chat with her recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Donna Grantis

GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE said "...Trading blazing solos with the late Purple One on a nightly basis, she proved her mettle, and earned a place in guitar history."

And its just that simple.

Donna Grantis is best known as the last guitarist for New Power Generation and as the guitarist of Prince's 3rdEyeGirl (who released the top 10 & critically acclaimed album "Plectrumelectrum" in 2014, with the title track written by Donna), but has been slugging it out on the scene for years.

The McGill jazz performance graduate quickly went to work as a session player and band leader in the Toronto area, working with a stunning array of musicians of all styles from 2002 to 2012. Also during that time, she worked as music director for the CBC and others for all manner of events.

Then, in 2012, she hooked up (by invitation) with Prince, and, following the release of their album, toured Europe and North America, including 3 nights headlining the Montreux Jazz Festival...and playing at the White House for the Obamas.

GUITAR GODS: Udi Levy

Its not every player who can play with equal passion and authenticity in a variety of styles, but Udi Levy is on the short list.

An in demand session player in New York, he has been immersed in the world of jazz for years, even playing with jazz greats - and Miles Davis alumni - Marcus Miller and John Scofield, toured the world. and seen his music on the charts.

But now Udi has released an album of shredding instrumental rock music that sounds like he's been doing it his entire life!

Learn more about Udi Levy at his website, and be sure to check out his music and videos.

I had a chance to chat with Udi recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Malina Moye

"I love where she's coming from." - Stevie Wonder

Guitar flipped upside down and played leftie, Malina is in the fast lane to the top of the pop-rock heap. A fabulous guitarist with the compositional chops, the voice, the dance moves, and the look to create the whole package in a way we haven't seen in a long, long time...and in a way we desperately need.

You may have seen her on stage or on video, you may have seen her on TV playing the national anthem on guitar (Vikings vs Cowboys) or playing the Chuck Berry Tribute and Michael Jackson Tribute shows at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. You may have heard her collaboration with legend Bootsy Collins or seen her name on the charts (Billboard, Amazon, & iTunes),. You may have heard her music on MTV or seen her in Guitar World Magazine (who named her one of the top 10 best female guitarists on the scene today).

Or you may have seen her when she joined the "Experience Hendrix" tour, sharing the stage with the likes of Eric Gales, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Brad Witford, and others, or sharing the stage at Bospop Festival with legends like Chaka Khan, or on other stages around the globe, where she has shared the stage with artists as diverse as pop icon Robin Thicke and guitar legend Vernon Reid, Eral Slick, and Lemmy (Motorhead).

But if you haven't, the time is now.

She is an artist of many talents - a real musician with real-world savvy thrown in - and her time has come.

Learn more about Malina at her website (and be sure to check out the video at the end of the interview!).

I had a chance to chat with Malina recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Adam Bentley

Arch Echo is an incredible new band that features rich, sophisticated instrumental songs filled with passion and dazzling displays of virtuosity.....and they have just released their debut album, ARCH ECHO.

Eight days ago, we featured an interview with one half of the twin guitar team, Adam Rafowitz (see his interview HERE). Today, we feature his partner in crime, the amazing Adam Bentley.

Adam attended the Berklee College of Music (where he met his Arch Echo band-mates), and then set out for Nashville. Once there, he stretched out beyond the scope of instrumentalist, and is also working as a composer, mixer, and producer (in fact, he mixed the debut Arch Echo album, and recorded, mixed, & produced his debut solo album, under the moniker "Absently", titled "Open Mind").

You can learn more about Adam and Arch Echo at their website, and be sure to "like" their facebook page. Adam also has a personal Youtube Channel with loads of great tutorials and music.

I had a chance to chat with Adam recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Courtney Cox

Courtney Cox is a shredding new talent. She burst on the scene in 2008 as a member of the Iron Maidens (an all female Iron Maiden tribute band), but by that time - due to her time at the Paul Green's School of Rock - she had performed on-stage with legends like Jon Anderson (Yes), Adrian Belew, Janes Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell, and guitar hero George Lynch (ed. note: see George's "Guitar Gods" interview HERE).

She then relocated to Los Angeles and was quickly tapped for the role of "Adriana Smith" in the Iron Maidens, and has scarcely had time away from the fast-paced world of music since.

Learn more about Courtney at her facebook page and check out the Iron Maidens.

I had a chance to chat with Courtney recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Parker Hastings

Parker Hastings - he's already opened for several major acts; shared the stage with none other than Tommy Emmanuel (ed. note: see Tommy's "Guitar Gods" interview  HERE); been a featured performer at events like GA Thumbpickers Annual Gathering, the Jerry Reed Tribute Concert (Nashville), and more; played at the Country Music Hall of Fame with John Knowles; in 2014 became the youngest person ever to win both adult titles at the Home of the Legends Guitar Competition (winning both Contemporary and Traditional categories); and has appeared 3 times on Woodsongs Old-time Radio Hour....and he's only just now old enough to drive!

Parker is a teenage guitar sensation from Central Kentucky and started playing guitar at the ripe old age of SIX.

He has already played countless shows across the region and is making a big splash on the national scene. That's right: Get his autograph now while you still can!

You can learn more about Parker at his website.

I had a chance to chat with him recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Jackie Venson

Jackie Venson is a guitarist-singer I stumbled upon just recently. I truly am a lucky guy!

With a smoky voice and a smoldering approach to guitar, everything always seems on the edge of bursting into sonic flames. Songs like "Always Free" (I was stunned silent by the acoustic version), "Rollin' On" (a classic slow electric blues in the finest Texas tradition), "Lost in Time" (an wonderful island-ie groove), and many others show her depth as composer, singer, and player.

Miss Venson performs both as a solo act and with a full band (drums, bass, keys) backing her, and is as fresh and exciting a new talent as I have ever heard. Yes, she really is that good!

Oddly, she only started playing guitar around 2011 (her final year at Berklee, where she studied piano and composition, and graduated in 2012) and wrote, recorded, and released her debut EP "Rollin' On" in 2013.

She went on to record another EP and 2 full-length albums, and has toured extensively across the US & Europe.

Learn more about Jackie Venson at her website and facebook page, and be sure to see her videos on her youtube channel.

I had a chance to chat with Jackie recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Nik West

Maybe you know her as a favorite of Prince...or her work with Dave Stewart...or from GLEE....or for her sizzling cover of "Back in Black"....or for that flaming, bass clef mohawk....or as the bassist on the cover of bass & guitar magazines or the AMS catalogue. Or maybe you saw her music video for her song (with Orianthi) "My Relationship"....or heard top-flight artists like Steven Tyler, Bootsy Collins, John Mayer, and Lenny Kravits singing her praises....or her new song "Bottom of the Bottle".

Or maybe you're only hearing of her now.

What is important, now that you know who she is, is that you get on that train and listen to her. Everything you can.

Nik West is an amazing bassist. One magazine said flatly, she is "bringing back the funk". But she is also an equally amazing vocalist and composer. Everything this young lady touches is gold.

But it doesn't stop there. Her stage presence is the stuff of legend. In fact, Prince himself said of her, "Great stage presence. She inspires me in the same way that Sheila E and Rosie did."

Her albums "Just in the Nik of Time" and "Say Somethin'" are stunning displays of the hardest rocking and heaviest funking available to mere mortals, with a depth of compositional agility and instrumental prowess not common in today's world. Simply put, you owe it to yourself to leap into this dense ocean of sound and...swim.

GUITAR GODS: Adam Rafowitz

When guitar 10-time Grammy winning, #1 chart topping, platinum-selling guitar legend George Benson says "Listen to this", you stop what you are doing and you listen.

And then you listen again.

To quote Mr. Benson word for word: "Talk about fresh, energetic and exciting music, you have to experience Adam Rafowitz’s guitar playing. He is definitely worthy of your ears. His group “Arch Echo” will knock your socks off and make you glad at the same time. Trust me!"

There is no exaggeration in this quote.

Adam Rafowitz and his twin-guitar attack partner in the band Arch Echo, Adam Bentley (read his "Guitar Gods" interview HERE), are players of the highest order. Not just amazing, other-worldy chops, but amazing composers and players who demonstrate knowledge, depth, and passion.

Mr. Rafowitz attended Berklee College of Music (graduating in 2015) and first got national attention when he won the the first Strandberg Guitarworks competition with his song "Perpetual Motion" (a song then recorded by his band Sound Struggle).

GUITAR GODS: Eric Krasno

Eric Krasno is a name I've just stumbled upon, but the guy has been around the block more than once. Taking a look at his accomplishments I'm scratching my head and asking "How did I not already know this guy by name?"....though we've ALL heard his work in one way or another.

He's been on stages and studios around the world and worked with the likes of Lettuce (a band he co-founded), Norah Jones, 50 Cent, Aaron Neville, and so many more, and winning Grammy Awards and other honors as a sideman, songwriter, and producer.

Now he has released his new solo album, "Blood from a Stone", where he not only writes and plays guitar, but for the first time is featured vocalist.

Born & raised in the New York area, Krasno attended Berklee College of Music, then later transferred to Hampshire College, and very quickly found himself on the road and recording for Soulive, and shortly thereafter making his debut as a producer with Talib Kweli's 2002 debut record "Quality".

Eric is a fantastic songwriter, a soulful player, a great singer, and his production skills are top-flight. Time to dig into this guy's sonic history if you haven;t already!

You can learn more about this amazing musician at his web-site.

I had a chance to chat with Eric recently. Check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Ottmar Liebert

Ottmar Liebert - This man is a stunning player and an incredible composer. I heard him on a compilation album with players like Paco de Lucia, Jesse Cook, Strunz & Farah, Al DiMeola, and others. I immediately ran out and bought what was, at the time, his only album.

It was called "Nouveau Flamenco" (released 1990) and featured his unique fusion of flamenco-influenced instrumental music.

That album went double platinum in the US and garnered gold & platinum status from Canada to Australia to Mexico and more.

By the next year, he had released "Borrasca", which immediately went gold in the US and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album....his first of FIVE such Grammy nominations.

27 years and as many albums later, the German-born guitarist & composer is still selling out concert halls around the world and making incredible music.

His current Luna Negra tour will take him all over Europe and North America, and I know that I, for one, am eagerly awaiting his next album!

Learn more about this gifted performer at his WEBSITE.

I had a chance to chat with Ottmar recently - check it out!

GUITAR GODS: Jesse Cook

I first heard Jesse Cook years ago on some Narada sampler CD. Jesse Cook was among the players, and a real standout for me. I ran out and looked him up and have been a fan of his music ever since.

Apparently I'm not alone!

A dozen solo albums (and a new one on the way), twice as many guest appearances & compilations, 4 DVDs, multiple gold & platinum certifications, world tours, 8 Juno Award nominations (with one win, for Best Instrumental Album for his record "Free Fall"), and more, and Jesse hasn't slowed one bit.

You may have heard his music on various TV shows (like "Sex and the City") or at the Olympics (figure skater Irina Slutskaya of Russia won a bronze medal skating to Jesse's "Mario Takes a Walk" at the 2006 Winter Olympics) or on late night (performing with Charlotte Church on the Tonight Show). Or you might, though Cook is usually the headliner, have seen him opening for legends like Diane Krall or B.B. King or Ray Charles.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

GUITAR GODS: Tommy "O" Organ

Tommy Organ (a.k.a. Tommy O).

If you haven't heard the name, you've most certainly heard his playing. TV sessions (like George Lopez's house band to the Grammy Awards and more) to albums (from Ray Charles to TLC to Toni Braxton to Beyonce to Lionel Ritchie to Mary J. Blidge and more) to world tours (Usher to Janet Jackson and more) and more still.

Tommy played guitar for Bill Clinton's Inauguration (and the Inauguration Ball), MTV Music Awards, Arsenio Hall's house band, both Leno & Letterman...he is a go-to session player for everyone from Gladys Knight to Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis....and if you saw Michael Jackson's film "This Is It" (for the "This Is It" tour), then you saw the twin guitar team of Orianthi and Tommy.

GUITAR GODS: Alan Robinson

I first heard Alan play several years back when we were performing guests at a high school for a music clinic. Hearing Alan play, and then hearing him tell some of his story & answer questions from the students, was...well, it was a very special morning.

Alan clearly possesses immeasurable kowledge and skill, and just as clearly has immeasurable fun while playing! This is evidenced on his recordings as well as when you see him on stage (both of which I highly recommend).

Alan was a Sergeant Major (now retired) with the US Army and played in the 202nd Army Band as Principle Guitarist. He was also, in a break from his military career (after securing a Bachelor of Music from the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA and a Masters of Music from EKU) an Assistant Professor of Music/ Director of Contemporary Music and Jazz Studies at Pikeville College and Director of Bands (South Floyd High School). He also attended the US Army School of Music. Now, post-military, he is returning to school (this time at University of KY, fall 2017) starting work for his Doctorate of Music.

GUITAR GODS: Steve Morse

STEVE MORSE.

Where does one begin in an attempt to encapsulate a career like that of Mr. Morse into a few short introductory paragraphs? Hmmm....

7 Grammy nominations, millions of albums sold, played for several legendary bands (including Dixie Dregs, Kansas, and Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famers Deep Purple), voted "Best Overall Guitarist" by Guitar Player magazine for five years in a row (and one of a VERY short list of players of the GP "Gallery of Greats"), 7 Grammy nominations, played on almost 200 albums (30 as band-leader), has a signature model guitar from MusicMan Guitar Company & signature pickups from DiMarzio, has toured the world numerous times, played thousands of shows, and is cited by players such as John Petrucci & the late Shawn Lane as one of the best players alive.

And that just scratches the surface of his accomplishments.

He is known for his uncanny ability to flow effortlessly from rock to classical to country to jazz to progressive to bluegrass and more, is the longest serving guitarist in Deep Purple (the other guitarists all legends: Tommy Bolin, Ritchie Blackmore, and Joe Satriani), he has seen his work top the charts for albums & singles in a variety of countries (Deep Purple's 2013 release "Now What?" was a Top 10 album in 10 countries, four of those at number one, while Flying Colors' 2011 debut reached #9 on Billboard's Hard Rock Charts), and is about to embark on the next Deep Purple tour which will carry them across Europe & North America for the next 7 months.

And that still leaves a lot out.

GUITAR GODS: Scott Ainslie

I saw Scott Ainsle first a number of years ago when he appeared on Woodsongs Old-time Radio Hour (2009, for show #502) for a celebration of Robert Johnson. There were two guests: Scott and the amazing Rory Block. As she is one of my favorite players ever, I had zero interest in this guy Scott Ainslie...until he began to play. And sing.

Oh....my....

Oh....my....

And then it just got better, and better, and better....because in addition to being a stunningly talented player & singer - and as authentic in the style as anyone you'll ever hear - he is also a walking encyclopedia of the blues...of American culture...of music.

I was immediately a fan.