Modern Guitars recently interviewed fingerstyle acoustic guitarist Pete Huttlinger. Huttlinger’s an excellent guitarist and has recently released an album titled Fingerpicking Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder. In addition to being a great guitarist, Huttlinger has the heart of a teacher, as evidenced by the instructional DVDs he has created.

In the interview, he offers this advice for aspiring professional guitarists:

Any player who wants to make a living at it needs to understand that there is only one Eric Clapton, only one one Steve Vai, only one Sting, et cetera. So the chances of being “that guy” are slim at best. Therefore, the more versatile you are, the better your chances of survival. Learn lots of styles, learn the tunes, learn the licks. And most importantly enjoy the work. If it seems like too much to tackle, then it probably is. It’s okay to play for fun.

Earlier this month, BBC News did an excellent profile of B.B. King. In addition to interviewing King and showing some footage of past and current shows, they even show a glimpse into his million dollar tour bus.

(via Strat-o-Blogster)

18-year old guitarist Tyler Bryant was recently featured in a story on Fender.com. Bryant opened for Joe Bonamassa here in Nashville last year and while the sound for his set was very poor you could still tell that he was an excellent guitarist. Since that show, he’s been writing and performing all across the country. I suspect the future is bright for Bryant, who has recently moved from a blues-based sound to more of a rock sound:

Although steeped in blues, a concert steered him toward rock ‘n’ roll. “I started out very heavy into blues,” Bryant said. “Because that’s what hit me when I was younger—I was drawn to the soul of it. As I got older, I didn’t cut my hair for a long time and automatically got into rock ‘n’ roll (laughs). I heard the Black Crowes live—I was at a concert with a couple of my friends, and the Black Crowes walked out onstage. From that point on, I wanted to play rock.”

I haven’t had time to write full reviews for some of the music I’ve enjoyed over the past few months, so I thought I’d do a quick post highlighting some of my favorites:

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I had the chance to see Tommy Emmanuel perform live last year, and will hopefully get to catch him again as he performs in Nashville this summer. Last October, Emmanuel released a DVD titled Center Stage of a performance at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California.

This DVD is a good representation of what a Tommy Emmanuel performance is like. I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the show last year, but as I mentioned in my review of the show, I was blown away by Emmanuel’s performance. It was primarily just Emmanuel and his guitars on stage, and he really knows how to put on a show.

If you get a chance to see him live, I highly recommend it. If not, Center Stage is a good alternative.

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I’ve mentioned Erik Mongrain before here, but he released a new album last year title Equilibrium. Mongrain’s playing style evokes images of Michael Hedges, who Mongrain cites as an influence.

Mongrain gained quite a following as a result of YouTube videos showing his fairly unique playing style of sitting the acoustic guitar on his lap and tapping rather than plucking the strings. However, Mongrain offers more than just visual flash. His playing is both atmospheric and emotional. In fact, if I had to describe this album in one word, “atmospheric” would be the word I’d use. The album also features Michael Manring on fretless bass and was recorded as Paul Reed Smith’s studio, the Dragon Crossing Studio.

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Carl Verheyen is a guitarist that I recently heard about, although he’s been around for a while. He recently put out a new album titled Trading 8s. This album mixes a combination of guitar instrumentals and vocal tracks.

The album features some top-notch guest artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Albert Lee, Steve Morse, Rick Vito, and Scott Henderson. Each guest artist adds a nice touch to the album. Also included on the album is a nice cover of George Harrison’s “Taxman”.

I’ve really been enjoying this album over the past couple of months. If you haven’t checked out Carl Veheyen yet, Trading 8s would be a good place to start.

Earlier this week, I selected the three winners of the Jeff Beck Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s Blu-Ray discs. Congratulations to the following winners:

Denny P.
Pete G.
Jamie B.

If you didn’t win this time, enter the new contest.

I’m excited to announce another contest! This time, you have a chance to win a free vinyl copy of the “Shimmer and Shine” single, which is from Ben Harper and Relentless7’s new album White Lies for Dark Times.

I’ve been listening to the new album for the past few weeks and really like it. I think it’s one of Harper’s best albums so far. It’s got a more rock sound to it, but still easily identifiable as Ben Harper. “Shimmer and Shine” is, in my opinion, one of the standout tracks from the album.

How to Enter

To enter, send me an e-mail with the subject line “Ben Harper” using the contact form informing me that you want to enter the contest. It’s that simple! One entry per person, and entries must be received by June 7. I’ll randomly select the winner and contact them on June 8.

Here’s a video of “Shimmer and Shine”:

Ben Harper and Relentless7 – Shimmer & Shine

Last week I mentioned that Back Door Slam’s new release Coming Up For Air will be available in stores on June 16. However, I recently found out that it’s available online at iTunes today. And, at only $7.99, it’s a great deal. I love it when an album I’ve been looking forward to comes out earlier than expected. The in-store date is still June 16, so you’ll have to wait until then if you want a physical copy of the CD.

A little less than a year ago, I wrote about a product called ToneRite. I’ve now been able to spend several months reviewing the device to see how it works.

In short, ToneRite simulates the effects of playing a stringed instrument to help mature the sound of the instrument. It’s actually pretty ingenious how it works. It essentially just sends continuous vibrations to the top of the guitar. You can adjust the rate of vibrations as desired.

I used the ToneRite device on my two acoustic guitars. One is a Takamine GS430S acoustic guitar with a solid cedar top, and the other is an Alhambra 7P classical guitar with a solid spruce top.

ToneRite recommends using the device for at least 24 straight hours for the initial application. For my tests, I did this for both guitars and then used the device intermittently for several weeks.

After letting the device work its magic on the Takamine, I played it to see how the sound differed from before. There was a subtle, but noticeable difference in tone. The guitar sounded a little warmer and a bit fuller than before. As this was the first guitar I tried, I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleased with the change, but, truth be told, I don’t think ToneRite’s market is the sub-$300 guitar market. The ToneRite device itself costs 50% of the total price of the guitar, and there just wasn’t enough of a difference to warrant paying for a device like this. I suspect that the quality of wood and bracing affects how much the ToneRite device alters the sound.

The results on my classical guitar were more in line with my expectations. The results were much more noticeable. The spruce top really opened up after letting the ToneRite device work for a few days. The sound was much warmer and fuller than before. Additionally, and I don’t know if this is imagined or real, but the top seemed to respond a little differently to plucking. I’m not even sure how to describe it, it just felt different. I’ve never owned an acoustic instrument that’s had time to age, so I can’t compare directly, but the ToneRite device definitely made a difference.

In my opinion, ToneRite is probably best suited for higher-end guitars and for guitarists who want to get the most out of their guitars in the shortest time. To that end, ToneRite is a solid device that breaks in newer guitars in a much shorter time than through playing. In my experience, the ToneRite device made for a warmer- and fuller-sounding guitar.

Alex Becker recently posted an interview with Billy Gibbons on the Gibson Lifestyle site. The interview covers several topics, including his musical beginnings, his first guitar, ZZ Top and Pearly Gates:

ZZ Top owned an old Packard, a car from the ’30s. It served us well, but it was really, really old. One of our girlfriends decided to head to California to try out for a part in a movie. We gave her the Packard as a way to get there. Not only did she arrive, but she got the part. We named the automobile “Pearly Gates” because we thought it must have had divine connections. Renee Thomas — that was her name — sold the car to a collector in California and sent the money to us. Her timing couldn’t have been better. The very day that the money arrived a guy called me up wanting to sell an old guitar. It was a ’59 Sunburst Les Paul. It was found underneath a bed, by the way, in which her previous owner died. I had to buy the guitar, of course, and I called Renee on the same day to thank her for being so kind. She said that it looks like the Packard went for a good cause and we should name the guitar after the car, Pearly Gates. At the end she said, “Now you can go make divine music.”

This is just a reminder that there are still a few more days to enter the Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s Blu-Ray contest. I’ll accept contest entries through Sunday, May 17, and I’ll announce the winner on Monday, May 18. Good luck!