Guthrie Govan is easily one of the hottest players on the scene today! He's a superb player, and appears to 'master' just about any style out there. I love his stuff. I was in constant awe standing about 6 feet from him during a recent Steve Wilson concert in Buffalo.
I don't disagree with his mastery of styles and technique...but he's my least fav part of Wilsons band and especially the Raven album.Originally Posted by Dean Watson
Death of a Child
www.soundcloud.com/darklounge
playing with ASiA in the early naughties helped! he had to channel howe, meyer, pitrelli, randall and everyone else ;-)>
I've seen him to a masterclass, and naturally I'm impressed - really! He can play anything at any speed, and it even looks easy. But somehow this guitar genre, including Gowan, very often leaves me with a 'so what' feeling.There is a lack of storytelling or personality, or something that leaves me impressed but untouched.
Alex Macacheck is a bit more interesting IMO, but still there is some way left, to be as clear as Holdsworth was in HIS earlier days.
More guitarvirtuosity from some australian youngsters (posted on the off topic board) http://plini.bandcamp.com/ borderline-great, but they try to compose a little different.
Amazing guitarist, but he doesn't pull me in.
Me may actually be too good.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
I'm a fan of Guthrie. I like his work with ASIA in the 'AURA' and 'Silent Nation' albums as well as GPS. I enjoy his 'Erotic Cakes' solo cd and The Aristocrats cd. But I agree, I think it was an odd choice by Steven Wilson. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his playing in the new Steven Wilson, but I have to agree that he is kind of a different type of player for what Steven Wilson's music requires. But maybe that's what Steven Wilson wanted, I don't know. I thought Alex Machacek would have been a better fit, but alas it looks like things have worked out fantastically well with Guthrie.
I sort of reminds me of a condensed version of Carl Verheyen's 'No Borders'
Sound alikes of a bunch of other guitarists. Technically ok, but, perhaps not what you want to be known for.
Great if you are a 'hired gun'. Getting regular work is good.
I thought he worked well with Steven Wilson, although I thought he was too low in the mix in the live show.
I look forward to seeing him with the Aristocrats this summer.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Big fan of Guthrie Govan. I love his Erotic Cakes album, and his work with The Aristocrats. The live double CD/DVD Boing we'll do it live
is incredible with Steven Wilson doing the 5.1 mix. I'm anxiously awaiting the new Aristocrats album. After being a musical hermit for years,
I'm so glad Guthrie is recording and touring like a madman finally. I first saw him in a clinic/promotion for Suhr guitars, then with The Aristocrats.
He's not everyone's cup of tea. For me, he's all right!
I love his playing on The Raven, and he was great live. I plan to seek out more of his stuff.
In terms of sheer technique and stylistic knowledge, Guthrie may be the most amazing guitar player in the world right now. His chops are unparalleled and his well of influences seems bottomless. I think there's plenty of form and soul in his playing too. I don't hear a lot of innovation, which is why I can't consider him as one of the greats like Holdsworth or Jeff Beck. Still, I love listening to him just because he's got so much going on with his playing. He's far more than just a speed demon; he's a master of string bending, phrasing, ... well, EVERYTHING! And he can and does slow down and play very tastefully and melodically when he wants to.
I like his own album "Erotic Cakes" more than I like The Aristocrats' debut. BUT... when I saw The Aristocrats live, that was a whole 'nother story; they blew my socks off! I've got to see that live DVD! And of course, their next album will be an auto-buy for me.
Regrettably, I skipped seeing the Aristocrats last time they came to my town, a few years ago. They're scheduled to be back this summer, so I won't let that happen this time. Here's a list of dates, and a link to their tour page, which has more details:
http://the-aristocrats-band.com/shows/
THE ARISTOCRATS
CULTURE CLASH - U.S. Tour Summer 2013
7/17 - Nashville, TN - Douglas Corner
7/19 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
7/20 - Orlando, FL - West End Trading Company
7/21 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
7/23 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Institute of Music (clinic/performance)
7/24 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Purgatory)
7/25 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall (Casbah)
7/26 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House Music Hall
7/27 - Vienna, VA - Jammin Java
7/29 - Boston, MA - Berklee College of Music (clinic)
7/30 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center (concert)
7/31 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - River St. Jazz Cafe
8/1 - New York City, NY - Highline Ballroom
8/2 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
8/3 - Dunellen, NJ - New Jersey Proghouse
8/6 - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Cafe
8/7 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
8/8 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Café
8/9 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House Revival
8/10 - Charleston, WV - Empty Glass
8/12 - Detroit MI - Token Lounge
8/13 - Indianapolis, IN - Birdy's
8/14 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
8/15 - Madison, WI - Brink Lounge
8/16 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
8/17 - Omaha, NE - Shamrock's
8/19 - St. Louis, MO - 2720 Cherokee
8/20 - Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
8/21 - Tulsa, OK - The Vanguard
8/23 - Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf
8/24 - Houston, TX - Rudyard's Pub
8/25 - Austin, TX - Saxon Pub
I'm hoping with more recording opportunities as a leader or band member, Guthrie will start to display a more individual voice on the instrument. It took me a few recordings to warm up to Alex Machacek, so it could be the same thing with Guthrie.
Well, the big difference is that early on, Alex sounded like he wanted to be Allan Holdsworth, whereas Guthrie is influenced by dozens of well known guitar players. Ideally, you want to have your own identity on your chosen instrument, but I'd much rather listen to somebody who has been influenced by multiple artists than somebody who has put all their focus into one particular guy. Alex has definitely come into his own at this point in time and he's certainly a force to be reckoned with! Guthrie... well, I think I can identify him pretty quickly because he has more influences than just about anybody. But I've heard him do some stuff that I've never heard anybody else do and hopefully, he'll find a strong individual voice of his own. Whatever, I still thoroughly enjoy listening to him!
Alex sounded very Zappa like in his playing initially to me. He's a tremendous player, but his material is not always compelling IMO. I saw him play at a club in San Francisco with Marco Minneman and Kai Eckhardt. That was tremendous. Alex sat on the floor at one point to read his charts. Both he and Guthrie's playing is ridiculous.
I bought his debut, "Featuring Ourselves" quite a while ago. My impression was that he wrote like Zappa, but played like Holdsworth, which was an interesting combination at the very least. But he was young; now that he's matured a bit, he's formed an identity of his own, both as a player and as a composer. And he IS a mofo!
Agreed.
Zappa polyrhythms with Holdsworth minus Holdsworth.
The guy has an amazing technical mind, but his playing just doesn't draw me in.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
Did not know until I looked at the Youtube in the OP that James Taylor was considered a "guitar great". I thought he was just a sleep-inducing soft rock singer.
26 mins of Guthrie & his rig, from Chicago show. Edit: Steven Wilson is at the end too.
Last edited by JSS; 06-05-2013 at 10:36 AM.
I'm still finding it surreal that The Aristocrats are playing at The Brink Lounge in Madison on 8/15!!
The Brink is a pretty intimate venue that usually has either jazz or folk/soft-rock acts. Capacity is about 300-350. Can't wait!
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
You can watch them right here Ernie:
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Thanks, Ed! When I get a chance, I will!
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