redfishingboat

Play this now!: “Just Got Paid” - Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa
Originally uploaded by madelien on Flickr

I’m not yet an expert on Guitar Gods, but I’m slowly working my way up there. In my younger days, I never gave two shakes about the guitar. I dug cool riffs and all, but the shredders always seemed too over the top for me. Then for some reason, a year or so it all changed. I think maybe seeing Philip Sayce for the first time started it. Then my buddy Greg got me really into Jimi and I finally got it — as much as I “get” anything, I suppose.

So, Joe Bonamassa is a dude who was born in upstate New York just like me. Like me, he’s now from Los Angeles. That’s about where the similarities end. He’s a total shredder. He’s playing a show at BriXton in Redondo Beach next month, and I’ll be there. His latest release comes out tomorrow — a double live album called Live From Nowhere in Particular. The ZZ Top cover above is mindblowing. I really hope you clicked the play button.

Regarding that cool photo on Flickr, I don’t know the photographer, but I like the shot. When Greg saw it he said, “In every adult guitar god, you can see a trace of the boy, the one who locked himself in his room every day and night for his entire childhood, playing guitar.” Exactly!