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Guitar Gods Index
Comprehensive list
of all "Guitar Gods" interviews and related lessons & reviews conducted
& written by David M. McLean.
Most links go to old
interview locations. Until up-dated, go to the main Guitar
Gods Menu.
If your favorite guitarist
isn't here and you'd like to see him or her here, just contact
me....and maybe contact your favorite guitarist, too. If you like heavy
rock vocalists, check out Tom Barnes Rock
Vox & "Garage
Vox" interview series at Tinfoil and visit Tom's site, Dreaming
Creek!
Also, stay tuned for the
new series "ROCK GODDESS"!
1) "GUITAR
GODS"
March 10, 2002. This is
the introduction article - relays info about the series' conception and
names several players.
2) "GUITAR
GODS: Michael Hedges"
May 3, 2002. This is a re-print
of an interview I conducted with the Grammy nominated (and, posthumously,
Grammy
winner) Windham Hill guitarist several years prior to his death. It's the
only interview that is "out of format" (i.e. - inconsistent with the specific
questions asked of the other interviewees).
3) "GUITAR
GODS: Joel Wanasek"
May 25, 2002. DarkShift
guitarist, solo artist, and creator of the Insane Guitar instructional
site. Also ran a giveaway contest (autographed CDs). The first unknown
guitar hero of the series, Joel is now also a successful studio owner &
engineer. 2005 up-date: The follow-up interview is HERE.
4) "GUITAR
GODS: Steve Stevens"
July 14, 2002. Solo artist,
session wizard, hired gun, producer, and Grammy Award winning guitarist
for Billy Idol. I also did a "Steve Stevens style" guitar lesson series
linked to story (see "lessons"
section). This interview has a micro-review of Steve's solo disc "Flamenco
A Go-Go", and see the review of the new (2005) Billy Idol single,
"Scream",
and CD, "Devil's
Playground", along with a follow-up interview
with Steve.
5) "GUITAR
GODS: David Neil Cline"
September 7, 2002. Solo
artist extraordinare playing & recording his ultra-cool '70s/'80s style
rock/metal.
6) "GUITAR
GODS: Grant Young"
September 27, 2002. Solo
artist, instructor, internet DJ, and GIT graduate playing
aggressive rock guitar...and running several internet radio stations which
focus specifically on guitar.
7) "GUITAR
GODS: Katherine 'The Great Kat' Thomas"
October 9, 2002. Juilliard
graduate, violinist, & guitarist playing shredding death-metal
interpretations of Beethoven, Bach, Paganini, and others. We also did CD
giveaway contest (autographed CDs), Kat-style guitar
lesson
linked to story, and CD review of "Wagner's
War". Kat, with fellow "Guitar Gods" interviewee Rusty Cooley,
was named among the 10 fastsest shredders of all time by Guitar One
Magazine. Here's the review of the 2005 release "Extreme
Guitar Shred".
8) "GUITAR
GODS: Francesco Fareri"
November 17, 2002. Italian
master of Bach-rock. Instructor, solo artist, writer with a new CD and
instructional DVD. See reviews of "High
Shred Techs" and his debut solo release, "Suspension".
Read the review of Fra's new CD, "Forbidden
Dimension" (2005).
9) "GUITAR
GODS: Jennifer Batten"
November 22, 2002. Solo
artist and former GIT instructor who acts as hired gun for
Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck, and others. Co-wrote Jeff Beck's Grammy
Award winning "Dirty Mind". Also did CD giveaway contest (autographed
CDs), Batten-style guitar
lesson
linked to story, and review
of her first 2 CDs. A follow-up interview and CD review is HERE (coming
soon!).
10) "GUITAR
GODS: Kyle Honea"
December 3, 2002. Solo artist
and instructor playing a mean bass guitar with a new CD and instructional
video. Kyle is a past & current columnist for various instructional
web-sites, including Insane Guitar and ShredZone. 2005 up-date:
review of "The
Watermelon Monster".
11) "GUITAR
GODS: Tony Smotherman"
December 5, 2002. Solo artist
and shred guitar instructor from Greece (living now in Florida). Also with
review of debut CD and giveaway contest (autographed CDs & posters).
12) "GUITAR
GODS: Preston Reed"
December 13, 2002. Phenomanal
acoustic guitar player from US; now living in Scotland, who performs primarily
instrumantal solo guitar. Also an instructor, and mentored Kaki King. Including
giveaway contest of autographed CDs.
13) "GUITAR
GODS: Marty Friedman"
January 10, 2003. Grammy
nominated Cacophony & Megadeth guitarist goes solo with new CD.
14) "GUITAR
GODS: Tommy Emmanuel"
February 14, 2003. Grammy
nominated Australian finger-picking sensation who performed for 2.75 BILLION
people at the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia!
15) "GUITAR
GODS: Muriel Anderson"
April 27, 2003. Award winning
classical/fingerstyle guitarist, instructor, & originator of the "Muriel
Anderson All-Star Guitar Night" (which brings together some of the greatest
guitar players in the world for a round-table style performance). Also
see reviews: "Journey
Through Time".
16) "GUITAR
GODS: Rusty Cooley"
May 1, 2003. Chops From
Hell columnists, private instructor, and Lion recording artist; named
among the "Top 10 Fastest Shredders of All Time" (along with the fellow
"Guitar Gods" intevierwee Katherine "the Great Kat" Thomas) in Guitar
One Magazine. Also see review
of Rusty's debut solo CD. Rusty is now a columnist for Guitar Player
Magazine.
17) "GUITAR
GODS: Ben Lacy"
July 27, 2003. Solo artist,
instructor, and Brian Moore Guitars clinician (see Ben perform at a NAMM
show near you!) with a new CD on the way. Also review
of the guitar virtuoso's latest CD, "One Track Mind". 2005 up-date: Check
out the article in Guitar One Magazine!
18) "GUITAR
GODS: Billy Sheehan"
January, 09, 2004. Gun-for-hire
and bassist extraordinaire, Billy Sheehan revolutionized bass playing in
the early 80s, has performed with a variety of bands (Talas, David Lee
Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and currently with Steve Vai's band), performed
& recorded as hired-gun, been nominated for a Grammy (Mr. Big's
NUMBER
ONE hit "To Be With You"), and worked as a solo artist. Read the review
of his 2005 solo release "Cosmic
Troubadour" and keep your eyes peeled for an up-date interview!
19) "GUITAR
GODS: Justin King"
January, 10, 2004. Solo
artist, studio owner, and instructor, Justin is the next HUGE artist on
the acoustic magic front! Also review
of latest CD, "Le Bleu", and a special lesson on "New
Acoustic Concepts" (Justin had direct input on this piece, & did
a brief interview for it, so check it out).
20) "GUITAR
GODS: Stevie Salas"
February 19, 2004. Solo
artist and gun-for-hire to the MEGA-stars (Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, etc.),
Stevie is poised to be the among the first rock guitar heroes of the 21st
century.
21) "GUITAR
GODS: Tobias Hurwitz"
March 1, 2004. Toby is a
GIT
graduate, master instructor, and keeper of the Zen Guitar flame!
He also performs and records regularly, and his CD "Painted Sky" is a masterpiece!
22) "GUITAR
GODS: Philip High"
March 8, 2004. Mellow mutant
fingerstyle jazz from a player slightly mad. Guitar wizard, multi-media
artist, and all-around renaissance man, Phil's new CD is called "HighperTrybe".
See an instructional piece in the lessons
section from clinics I've been lucky enough to do with Phil and our buddy
Jerry Belsak.
23) "GUITAR
GODS: Greg Howe"
April 1, 2004. Greg Howe
may not be a household name, but if you ever listen to the radio you've
heard him play. Hired-gun, solo artist, instructor, and fusion king, Howe
has a new CD, "Extraction", featuring legends Victor Wooten (bass) and
Dennis Chambers (drums). See Greg Howe style lessons in the
lessons
section!
24) "GUITAR
GODS: Kimi Reith"
April 6, 2004. Kimi is a
unique jazz guitarist with a most ingenius approach to composition &
improvisation. She also has a fantastic CD titled "BAIL!" (see the review).
25) "GUITAR
GODS: Jerry Belsak"
April 9, 2004. Master fingerstyle
player who soars just under the radar. Solo artist, former guitar instructor,
and recording artist Jerry Belsak may just be "on the screen" with a new
CD. See an instructional piece in the lesson
section from clinics I've been lucky enough to do with Jerry and our buddy
Philip High.
26) "GUITAR
GODS: Nuno Bettencourt"
April, 2004. The man who
propelled Extreme to the top of the charts in the late '80s and early '90s
- and co-wrote the NUMBER ONE hit, "More Than Words", is
back as producer and writer, and is leading the new band Population-1.
27) "GUITAR
GODS: Steve Lukather"
April, 2004. From 1977 with
the first TOTO album to now with the Grammy winning 2003 CD (his
7th!) with Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather has demonstrated more staying
power than any living guitar god. Session man, band leader, instructor,
producer...Steve Lukather is a legend in the music world! 2005 up-date:
A Review of Steve's "Santa
Mental" Chrsitmas CD!
28) "GUITAR
GODS: Bernie Torme'"
April, 2004. This crazy
guy has been around for years and is so fearless that he stepped into the
guitar slot for Ozzy Osbourne immediately following the tragic death of
Randy Rhoads, paving the way for Brad Gillis, Jake E. Lee, and Zakk Wylde.
Also worked with Dee Snider and fronts the Electric Gypsies. (Related:
see the Randy
Rhoads review and lesson).
29) "GUITAR
GODS: Troy Stetina"
April 2004. Troy is the
guitar teacher to the stars (inlcuding Mark Tremonti of CREED), studio
owner (Artists Underground), hired gun, and solo artist. He has released
a fabulous CD (his third), 30+ publications with Hal Leonard, and also
awards the "Rockin' the Web Awards" to a select few guitar players
and web-sites.
30) "GUITAR
GODS: Jason Becker"
December 2004. Award-winning
Jason Becker is the co-founder of Cacophony (with "Guitar God" interviewee
Marty Friedman [see above]) who performed on David Lee Roth's album "A
Little Ain't Enough". He has also released solo albums, performed on other
projects, and released an amazing instructional video through Hot Licks.
31) "GUITAR
GODS: Mattias 'Freak Guitar' Eklundh"
December 2004. Solo artist,
bandleader, FUZZ magazine columnist, clinician....Matthias is a god of
the underground serving up some of the most incredbile, and slightly insane,
music on the scene! Also see this review of his 2005 Favored
Nations release "Freak
Guitar - The Road Less Traveled".
32) "GUITAR
GODS: Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal"
March 2005. Guitarist, producer,
instructor, columnist, critic, guitar hero, and more, Ron Thal is a wizard
of futuristic and bizarre guitar-centric music.
33) "GUITAR
GODS: Neil Zaza"
March 2005. Amazing solo
artist with new CD and signature model guitar from Cort!
34) "GUITAR
GODS: Chris Poland"
March 2005. The guitarist
for the Grammy nominated metal band Megadeth and incredible fusion
guitarist with his new outfit, OHM. New CDs from both projects, this inspiring
player is making huge waves!
35) "GUITAR
GODS: Nick Martinelli"
March 2005. In addition
to be an excellent guitarist and instructor, graphic artist & web-designer
Nick Martinelli is the owner & webmaster of the popular instructional
site "The Shred Zone".
36) "GUITAR
GODS: Eric Roche"
March 2005. Master fingerstyle
player from Europe with several solo releases of instrumental guitar music
(including a new CD). Eric also writes for several major international
guitar publications like "Acoustic Magazine", and his book "The
Acoustic Guitar Bible" (with forward by fellow "Guitar Gods" interviewee
Tommy Emmanuel) was released recently to lavish praise.
37) "GUITAR
GODS: Paolo Giordano"
March 2005. Acoustic wizard
relatively unknown in the US, but well-known in Europe and has shared the
stage with many other "Guitar Gods" interviewees (Tommy Emmanuel,
Muriel Anderson, Preston Reed, etc.).
38) "GUITAR
GODS: Randy Ellefson"
March 2005. Solo artist
who came back from tendonitis induced 6 year lay-off with debut solo CD,
tendonitis site, and on-line instruction. Read the review of the debut
release, "The
Firebard".
39) "GUITAR
GODS: Doug Doppler"
March 2005. Incredible solo
artist fuing elements of Nu-Metal with classic sounds playing instrumental
rock. Read the review of "Nu
Instrumental".
40) "GUITAR
GODS: P O M"
March 2005. Renassaince
man POM is not only a solo acoustic artist, but writer & film director.
His touchstyle approach to nylon strung flamenco guitar is nothing less
than shocking & inspiring. See accompanying review of his soundtrack
to the full-length feature film "Lost
Contact", as well as a brief interview in the "Acoustic
Concepts part 2" lesson.
41) "GUITAR
GODS: Dave Weiner"
April 2005. Not only is
this guy Steve Vai's back-up guitarist on stage, ripping through harmonies
with Steve & Tony MacAlpine, this former GIT student is also
an established DIY guitarist. Check out the review of his debut solo album
"Shove
the Sun Aside".
42) "GUITAR
GODS: Don 'Boone' Hicks"
April 2005. The red-hot
guitarist from the southern-fried metal act Devil Stomp tells it like it
is. With a tour and a new CD on the way....
43) "GUITAR
GODS: Debra DeSalvo"
August 2005. Author/journalist
and former "False Prophets" & "Plastique" guitarist and solo artist
Debra DeSalvo doesn't play a thousand notes a second. Instead, she plays
gut-wrenching rock-n-roll with lots of attitude and spice. Also check out
reviews of Deb's "Electric
Goddess" and "Hoboken
Demo" albums...& January 2006 review of her book "The
Language of the Blues" plus a book interview.
44) "GUITAR
GODS: Mr. Fastfinger"
August 2005. In less than
a month after it's release on the web, the zen guru of guitar, Mr. Fastfinger,
has soared to amass a large following of students & fans as he battles
the Devil "mano a mano" on his educational & entertaining site,
GuitarShredShow.Com!
With thousands of hits on his web-site a day, he is possibly the fastest
rising star in the world of guitar.
45) "GUITAR
GODS: Steve Vai"
October 2005. From Frank
Zappa to Alcatrazz to David Lee Roth to Whitesnake to a brilliant solo
career, this
Grammy winning guitarists is the man everyone calls
"legend". Steve was in the midst of rehearsals during the interview,
so he only answered a few questions. If he has time, the full interview
will appear here. If not, it won't...BUT the couple of questions he had
time for will be the basis for a "Steve
Vai Style" lesson on the "lessons" page. Also check out a review of
the new CD, "Real
Illusions: Reflections", and the new "G3:
Live in Tokyo".
46) "GUITAR
GODS: Eric Mantel"
February 2006. Eric is an
amazing guitarist & instructor with more endorsements than you can
shake a stick at - the best kept secret Chicago ever had! Also read the
review of his latest CD, "The
Unstruck Melody".
47) "GUITAR
GODS: Mark Akin"
June 2006. Quite possibly
the most successful indie guitarist walking the planet, Mark is an instructor,
clinician, solo artist, guitarist of Shadow Syndicate, collaborator, hired
gun...and you've heard his music on the soundtrack for "DragonBall-Z"!
Also featuring a review of Mark's CD "AlienCarChase".
48) "GUITAR
GODS: Mikhal Caldwell"
September 2006. Amazing
fusion guitarist...the Electric Warrior. Mikhal studied at Berklee, hosted
the award-winning TV show "Fretboard Frolics", has played on almost a dozen
recorded projects, produced an instructional series...and has a new CD!
Plus contest & reviews!
49) "GUITAR
GODS: Bobby Ferrara"
December 2007. This interview
marked the return of the "Guitar Gods" series after a year off. Bobby was
shredding when it wasn;t cool, and continues to shred now that it's becoming
cool again!
50) "GUITAR
GODS: Badi Assad"
April 2008. Badi Assad is
a beautiful & brilliant Brazilian guitarist of enormous talent, a composer
of other-worldly sounds, a singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice...and
much more.
50) "GUITAR
GIDS: Phil Keaggy"
May 2008. (enter data)
51) "GUITAR GODS: Dustie
Waring"
May 2008. Guitarist, Between
the Buried and Me. (enter data)
52) "GUITAR GODS: Paul
Waggoner"
May 2008. Guitarist, Between
the Buried and Me. (enter data)
5x) "GUITAR GODS: Strunz
& Farah"
2005. Amazing guitar hero
duo playing extraordinary flamenco-esque fusion (while keeping one foot
firmly rooted in tradition) utilizing elements from their homelands (Costa
Rico & Iran, respectively). With a new CD!
5x) "GUITAR GODS: Philip
Toshio Sudo"
2005. Posthumous interview.
I spoke to Phil first just after he was diagnosed with the cancer that
later killed him. He was to be one of the early "Guitar God" interviewees,
but never completed the interview. By piecing together information from
our brief conversations as well as from his web-site and his book, "Zen
Guitar" - plus from his wife Tracy and friend Tobias Hurwitz - this
guitarist and visionary finally takes his place in the series.
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