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!

RIP Chris Cornell

"2, maybe 3 hours ago. I never write this soon after. I took a day to write about Michael Jackson. 2 weeks for Prince....."

Read it all at Skinny Devil Universe

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.

50 Years Ago Today: HENDRIX Changes the World

50 years ago today, the then-unknown guitarist Jimi Hendrix releases his debut album, "Are You Experienced?" (as The Jimi Hendrix Experience).

The world would never be the same.

The album is held in such high regard for a number of reasons: Its epic and fearless use of stereo imaging, its introduction to Jimi's other-worldly compositions, the (re)-invention of the rock guitar lexicon of techniques & licks, and so much more.

From the opening track "Purple Haze" (in the US - "Foxy Lady" was the opening track in the UK) to the over-the-edge psychedelia of "3rd Stone From the Sun" to the gorgeous "The Wind Cries Mary" to the closing title track, it was an 11-song game-changer; a veritable sonic & stylistic revolution.

Jimi Hendrix (guitar & vocals), Noel Redding (bass), and Mitch Mitchell (drums) created one of the most iconic rock albums in history, playing in a way few had even envisioned, much less attempted.

The album has since gone on to sell over 5 million copies in the US alone, and is a staple in the collections of all serious guitarists, as well as classic rock radio. In addition, it is listed on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" at number 15, with 4 of the songs on their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" ( "Purple Haze" at 17, "Foxy Lady" at 153, "Hey Joe" at 201, and "The Wind Cries Mary" at 379), and the US Library of Congress added the album to their National Recording Registry in 2005, and it regularly tops lists of greatest guitar albums of all time (and has for over 30 years).

I could go on. And on. And on even more...but the best thing to do is stop reading right now, and go listen.

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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).