Guitar Nine Columns: Guitarists and Bands

Fist-Pumping Rock & Metal

Seriously Robotic Riffage

Delivering Memorable Instrumental Rock

An Expression Of Various Styles

An Edge Rock Instrumental Band

Two-Handed Instrumental Fusion

Greatest Unsigned Rock Band

Mad Sammarinese Instrumentalist

Double The Jazz Guitar Fun

A lot of people don`t realize that the guitar is a great melodic instrument, and can easily take the job of a singer. You can take a vocal melody, play it on a guitar and make it just as expressive or more so.

I play instrumental blues and rock. Freddie King`s instrumental records really had an impact on me. I can`t sing but those records showed me there`s still a lot you could say without vocals.

My latest album was self-released and to be honest I completely forgot that there was even an option of being on a label. I never attempted to send a disc anywhere asking to join a label.

My first CD with my name on it was self-released. They recorded me for free so I would have a product out but it is a live CD, recorded in a club on a night I didn`t know I was to be recorded.

In general, my newest compositions are always my favorites. Creating is what it is all about for me. I rarely go back and revisit old pieces. My current material is always representative of where my head is at musically at any particular point in time.

I recently posted a couple of tracks on Soundcloud and my track "Atomic Shadow" went bananas with over 50,000 listens within a couple of weeks. That was the largest single networking event I`ve experienced.

It is true that instrumental rock appeals to a specialized audience compared to classic rock. Last year, I formed the band Reign Over Obscurity, which is progressive metal. There are vocals in this project so it will probably reach a wider audience.

Texas Shuffles To Classic Rock

Turning It Up, Letting Go

Up Tempo, Chops-Heavy Jazz

Infectious Gypsy Swing Guitarist

It`s having different layers on songs - melodies and different time signatures under melodies - that makes songs interesting. It´s cool when you are able to find new things from songs after listening several times.

Although social media can be great to connect with fans, who knows when Facebook or Twitter will disintegrate? My advice to other musicians would be to not put all your eggs in one basket, especially if you don`t own that basket!

The upside of the democratization of music production is that anyone can create and market their own music. The downside of the democratization of music production is that anyone can create and market their own music.

A Master Of The 7-String

Progressive, Hard & Melodic

Rock That Hits You In The Gut

A Musical Concept Of Reality

Your Ears Will Bleed

Staying True To The Music

Blending His Diverse Influences

Ready To Explode

I personally think that since everything is in HD today, it gets too clear sometimes, and then, the enchanted atmosphere is not there.

RadioAirplay.com - there is nothing like getting your stuff heard and getting new fans. It costs but it works and does generate interested fans who like your music.

I`ve found Youtube to be a great platform for exposure. It`s awesome what you can do in a home studio with a GoPro, software and a few days.

Pressing Musical Boundaries

Strong Melodies For Longevity

Take A Trip To Snakeland

Oregon Meets Ocean

My vision and formal concept of an album is always a full length CD. And I´m surprised at how many people actually order my physical CD album. Actually I´m selling quite a few more CDs than downloads.

I didn`t want that DIY vibe for the artwork, or the sound/production. I wanted a quality product that will stand the test of time, and that meant really deciding what I could do myself, and what would be better left to a dedicated professional.

There was no goal or idea to create an album initially. The music on the album was gathered from many musical ideas that I had had over the last two years or so and were composed in many different places.

Guitar Music At Its Best