The New Guitar Gods

[Abaco]

Joe Bonamassa

...nuf said. I'm out.

[atquinn]

But they are young people who enjoy good music, not tabloid popularity and synchonized dance moves.

Exactly my point! Are people like that reading Rolling Stone? There are tons of awesome guitarists out there, I just didn't know Derek Trucks had the sort of appeal to get onto the cover of Rolling Stone (as opposed to say, Guitar Player). Musical ability might be an element that goes into being a guitar hero, but I don't even know that it's the main ingredient. I mean look at Ace Frehley!

Austin

[Bruiser Brody]

Exactly my point! Are people like that reading Rolling Stone?

+ a million. That's why I'm shocked a player like Trucks would even make the cover. I guess I'm surprised any real player would make the cover of that pos mag anyway.

+ another million on Bonamossa.

[cmatthes]

I stopped reading Rolling Stone and cancelled a longtime subscription in the 80s. They had Don Johnson on the cover TWICE in a year.

Don Johnson.

Twice.

I have only glanced at it once or twice since then. It had pretty much jumped the shark by that point.

[SteveB]

, dropping to my knees and pitching my fists into the air while screaming "I SUCK!" towards the heavens.

I do that pretty much everytime I practice.

[bruce919]

Joe Bonamassa

...nuf said. I'm out.

+1 on Bonamassa

He is the real deal. One of the few is worthy of the title.

[Chollie]

My question is Who hit John Mayer in the face with the baseball bat???? He looks like hell.

and why did they stop?

[NewAKowner]

Gabe, please take no offense. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and we all have our "guilty pleasures. Hell, I like ELO and Hall and Oates!

But, if anyone wants an example of why John Mayer needs to be banned (or at least dismissed as irrelevant),

watch his performance of "Gravity" on the DirecTV free concert broadcast this month.

All of the insipid, grating, horror-inducing Mayer elements are there. The "play three notes and contort your face like you're passing a kidney-stone" fake emotion, the vacant mouthing along of the words by the soccer mom and daughter JM fanclub audience, the pseudo intellectual haiku lyrics and the "why the hell can't you just sing like a normal human instead of that blatantly affected gargling thing you do" vocal delivery.

Yes I watched. For three full minutes. I still feel unclean.

Have I mentioned that I'm not a fan?

edited to add that Duke Robillard kicks ass!

+1 - Thank you for one of the best descriptions of that Ultimate Poser John Mayer that I have ever seen - sad commentary on state of music industry today that an average player who wrote some insipid pop songs gets to share a stage with Buddy Guy. I also appreciate your take on Justin Timberlame in another post - he certainly has proven that he can neither dance nor sing. Keep up the great work.

[Guest Meshuggah]

Now with Video goodness

[mc2]

It's not that he's THAT good...it's that he has GREAT management. They put him EVERYWHERE...even where he does not belong.

VW commercial? As a VH-1 "I Remember the 70s" and "I Remember the 80s" spokesperson, when he was not born or in diapers?!?! The primo live TV spots as a performer or presenter. Endorsements with everyone on the planet. And now (CRINGE) a "guitar god?" BARF.

Isn't it Michael McDonlad he was thanking on TV a few weeks back at the Grammys or something? Mayer IS sort of Michael McDonald with a guitar, musically.

[BTMN]

Mike Lee-

"And how much of the general public knows much or cares about Jeff Beck? Jeff is a guitarist's guitarist, a musical genius, and one of the foremost innovators the instrument has ever seen. He was good when he played Teles, Esquires, and Les Pauls, but with a Strat he has found a singular voice that no one else even approaches. He's not the fastest, or most theory-literate, but certainly more musical than most."

I have been thoroughly moved at the shows I have seen from Jeff in the last 5 years. Cant wait for the next show.

Aerowho?

Edited to add: These three? All interesting at times. Derek would be my fav out of the three. He has been incredible for years. His wife, Susan Tedeshi, is no slouch herself as a player/songwriter.

[harry65]

Duke Robillard is cool. I met him at the Detroit Guitar Show about 10 years ago at a Hamer display. The local Hamer factory rep had a small booth and he put a P-90 Goldtop in Duke's hands. He liked it a lot, but said the neck was too thin. Maybe he'd like the current necks better.

I've seen Derek Trucks live 3 times. He is the most impressive "new" guitarist I've seen in a long time. His only problem is that he doesn't sing lead and thus doesn't appeal as much to chicks and non-guitar people. But amongst guitarists, he's up there with Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, and Clapton. Buddy Whittington is up there in that group too but he's a lot older.

Rolling Stone has been lame for over 20 years. I remember in the 80's when members their pet alternative bands would always be selected as the best instrumentalists. U2 is a good band, but there is NO way that ANY of them should be selected as best drummer, or best bassist, or even best guitarist. I remember seeing that and going WTF? That was when Vai, Satriani, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, and many other virtuosic interumentalists were at the top of their game.

no offense, but you can't lump beck in with those guys,especially clapton, he belongs at the top of the mountain by himself

[Guest Mike Lee]

Duke Robillard is cool. I met him at the Detroit Guitar Show about 10 years ago at a Hamer display. The local Hamer factory rep had a small booth and he put a P-90 Goldtop in Duke's hands. He liked it a lot, but said the neck was too thin. Maybe he'd like the current necks better.

I've seen Derek Trucks live 3 times. He is the most impressive "new" guitarist I've seen in a long time. His only problem is that he doesn't sing lead and thus doesn't appeal as much to chicks and non-guitar people. But amongst guitarists, he's up there with Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, and Clapton. Buddy Whittington is up there in that group too but he's a lot older.

Rolling Stone has been lame for over 20 years. I remember in the 80's when members their pet alternative bands would always be selected as the best instrumentalists. U2 is a good band, but there is NO way that ANY of them should be selected as best drummer, or best bassist, or even best guitarist. I remember seeing that and going WTF? That was when Vai, Satriani, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, and many other virtuosic interumentalists were at the top of their game.

no offense, but you can't lump beck in with those guys,especially clapton, he belongs at the top of the mountain by himself

Agreed. I was just listening to "Bulgaria" and "A Day in the Life" today over my new studio monitors. Words cannot describe the tone and phrasing.

[Guest Meshuggah]

CONFIrMATioN!!!!

Johann Mayer is a Douchebag.

Thanks you and goodnight.

[BubbaVO]

John Mayer...Plays nice pop songs; Dates hotties. A guitar hero? ...stop the ride, I want to jump off. As I get older, I choose not to connect with popular culture more and more.

[jettster]

I had never been too crazy about the Mayer tunes on the radio but recently saw an Austin city limits with him. I'll have to say that most of it was pretty decent, funky, bluesy and groovin. I don't get the guitar god status he seems to garner but he's a pretty decent player and can write some cool music.

This tune from the show was pretty cool, although I'm not a huge fan of his Dave Mathews singing style.

ACL clip

[bubbagomez]

They should have had Brad Paisley on the cover. That dude can play!