What Makes a Guitarist Special?

On my way to the blues jam at Des Moines' Copa Cavana last night my good friend Kyle brought an interesting question to my mind. As we were driving I naturally had in my favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan CD to get psyched up to play some greasy blues when he asked me what makes Stevie Ray Vaughan so special? Why do I consider him to be better than a lot of guitar players?



Stevie Ray Vaughan



Well what makes any guitar player "special"? Is the fact that they can play a barrage of notes in a matter of seconds? Is it simply that their tone is just remarkable and unlike anybody else's? Is it the fact that they are such a musical genius that they just come up with the most interesting phrasing and take a song to astronomical heights that make people go wow? Or is it simply that they are such a great performer that they captivate audiences through any circumstance or situation?

All of these things are true in my eyes. But what makes a guitar player special is a combination of all or most of these things. Take someone like Stevie Ray Vaughan for instance. In rock, blues, r&b, funk, and soul circles he is widely viewed as a guitar phenom. The guys had incredible tone, downright scary phrasing and technique, and he was also an amazing live performer.

Guitar players are a dime a dozen these days. Anybody and everybody wants to be the next Hendrix or Page or Clapton or Vaughan but the reality is only a small few will ever have a shot at reaching this level. Its a matter of not only having the skills mentioned above but also being in the right place at the right time. There are many phenomenal guitarists out there that never make it because they just don't get noticed.

Instead these guys stick to the bar and festival scene around their general area of the country, relishing off the moments they have at different shows that make people go wow. I personally think I had one of these last night because for only the second time in seven years of playing I busted a string on stage in the middle of a solo. With no backup guitar to switch to right away I instead used my knowledge of guitar and my ear to finish the solo and another two minutes of the song with only five strings. Afterwards I got a rousing ovation.

Its moments like that which make guitar players a special breed. Each and every player has his/her own skill set, tone, technique, etc that makes he/she who they are as a musician. However to be I guess what you would say "super special" is having all of these qualities in a form that captivates people and makes them go wow when they see that guitarist play.

The question I have is where is the next Hendrix or Vaughan? They only way he/she will be found in my opinion is for the public to find them a create a following for them or join an existing one. So if you don't already, get out on your local music scene and find that special guitar player waiting in the wings looking for your help as a fan to recognize their god given abilities.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,

JAS

Photo courtesy of Joe Bielawa, Flickr/Creative Commons

New Music Thursday



Billboard at the Hammersmith Apollo
on December 18, 2009.



I decided to try out an idea where every Thursday I will feature a new artist that people may or may not have heard much about.  This may include national, regional, or local acts. For my first installment of this I chose the band Them Crooked Vultures.

Formed in 2009, the band consists of three very accomplished musicians. Drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and guitarist/vocalist Josh Homme (Oueens of the Stone Age).

The band is a very interesting mix. According to their official website, the band:

"sounds like the guy from Queens of the Stone Age singing and playing guitar with the bass player from Led Zeppelin and the drummer from Nirvana."

This is very much true. The music is very much hard rock with a tinge of an indie feel to it. The band's self titled debut album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in late 2009. The more I listen to the music it definitely becomes more intriguing. Even if you are not a fan of hard rock one can definitely appreciate the musicality on this record.

Songs like "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I", "Elephants", "Scumbag Blues" are very much a treat to listen to and just the tip of the iceberg. I honestly feel like I'm listening to an evolved version of Led Zeppelin if they were around today. Not that I mean this lineup is better than Zeppelin, no lineup can ever really duplicate that band's style, delivery, and songwriting. However Them Crooked Vultures does a very good job taking elements from that hard rock sound that Zeppelin made famous and make it their own. I mean when you have an ex-Zeppelin in your band its bound to happen right?

So anyway if you are looking for something new to listen to while you are sitting around doing nothing, look up Them Crooked Vultures and take a listen. You could definitely do a lot worse with some of the garbage that is out there today.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Photo courtesy of p_a_h, Flickr