The internet is amazing. Blogs are even more amazing.  The internet and this blog have allowed me to “re-connect and communicate” with many people.

Fourteen years ago, I lived in Seattle, WA and worked for a well-known technology company. I was in sales management and had a team of sales professionals who worked for me.

I have always believed that success is directly tied to the quality of the people you associate and work with on a daily basis.  It’s hard to succeed totally on your own. The truth is… any success I realized in the corporate world was more a factor of my ability to identify talented salespeople and encourage them to work for me than any personal achievements of my own.

(By the way, that same axiom holds true today — surround yourself with as many successful people in the music world as you can. You will learn from them and they will inspire you to grow as a guitar player.)

OK… Back to Seattle… No one called me “GuitarDaddy” then. I did not even play the guitar! But the seeds of my six-string love affair were being planted…

One of the talented salespeople who worked for me was a young man by the name of Brian Oaks.

While I will always remember Brian for his drive, determination and professional sales skills, I will NEVER forget how he often spoke of his love for the guitar.  I will admit that at that time, I did not understand how ANYBODY could be passionate about a guitar… but time sure has opened my eyes.

A few years ago, the internet allowed me to re-connect with Brian and that re-connection evolved into this blog post as Brian allowed me to interview him about his life and the guitar.

Brian’s passion for the guitar and music drove him to leave corporate sales and the security of a weekly paycheck to pursue his dream of playing guitar professionally.

I believe Brian’s story is one worth sharing with the readers of TheGuitarBUZZ. Enjoy!

GD) How long have you been playing guitar?

BO) About 25 years…I remember getting my first rental guitar in 5th grade (Gibson Sonex 150)…. I started taking lessons and really getting into it pretty fast. My grandparents bought me my first guitar in 6th grade from Kennelly Keys Music in Burien, WA. It was a 1983 Sienna Sunburst Fender Strat. I still have it today and it is 9/10 as far as condition goes and remains safely tucked away. Having a great first guitar really helped me learn.

I will say that there were some years during and after college that I did not play much. I wanted to be a doctor in college and then ended up in sales. During those years, I played but did not practice much. About 10 years ago I met someone that moved up to Seattle from Nashville. We became great friends and that is when I really started back at it.

GD) Who are your major influences?

BO) I always dug the session guys more than anything growing up. Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson, Mike Landau, and Gordon Kennedy were big when I was young. I loved how these guys could come up with the perfect part, solo, and sound for a song. That was inspiring to me. Still is…Today All the above still inspire me but also guys like Gerry Leonard, Michael Lockwood, Tom Bukovac, Kenny Greenberg, Shawn Tubbs, Brad Paisley and many others. Each of these players approaches the instrument in a different way. GREAT learning opportunity to learn from diverse people!

When it comes down to it I love guys with confidence. This is rock and roll to me. Seeing Tom Bukovac, Mike Landau or Kenny Greenberg live is pretty stupid cool. Listening to Jerry McPherson come up with some amazing part is too. Confidence is a major influence to me as I am trying to get better at it.

GD) How would you describe your playing style today?

BO) Well I hope I sound like me! I am definitely a pop/rock guy heavily influenced by country and roots rock. I love the sound a cool vibey & guitar into a great amp with a memory man delay. I love making chunky rhythm and the fun ambient/washy stuff too. I love simple lines that make a part and love a solo you can sing to…. Since being in Nashville I have totally been digging into the great country players and using my fingers a lot along with the pick. I have always used a “hybrid picking” style (Mark Knopfler ) but even more so now. I sound like Brian Oaks with a little of my influences mixed I hope.

GD) Tell me about the move from Seattle to Nashville:

BO) Well I loved working for Dennis Jones but I think I loved guitar more (chuckle). I think there is a time in all our lives where if we are really honest with ourselves we know what God created us to be. I believe for me that this is music. I just had to make the jump. I knew I was good enough (to an extent as the talent here is scary!). I just did not want to come to the end of my life and say I wish I would have… It has been the best thing I have ever done less marry my wife Stephanie and have my 2 kids Tyler and Abigail. Dreams are powerful when you have a talent. If those two things are there, you have to run with reckless abandon in that direction. I moved down here in my mid 30’s. That is late to an extent but it was the best decision for me. I do not regret a second of it. I have the best job in the world.

GD) What are you working on right now?

BO) I play for country artist Mallary Hope. AMAZING artist on MCA Records. I have also been on tour with Point of Grace and Mark Schultz on the Come Alive tour. That has been a ton of fun. Will be continuing that tour this winter on the West Coast. I play for a lot of artists not on “tour” as it is expensive to get a band on a tour bus so we do fly dates or short runs. I played this summer for Warner Bros. artist Whitney Duncan when she was doing band shows. That was a lot of fun.

I am also producing a live record for a church up in Chicago with Brent King in May. He is an old friend and is Ricky Scaggs engineer. Great learning experience there. There is also session work too, but I am enjoying playing live right now so that is what is taking up the most of my time.

GD) Describe your live rig: guitars, amps, effects, …

BO) It depends on the gig, but I have been using my Matchless HC-30 and a matching Matchless 1×12 cab. That amp just seems to get most of what I need with my pedalboard. That amp at 9 is magic. I have to use in-ears, which I am not real fond of. I know the amp sounds good in the house even if it is not great in my ears. I also have a Divided by 13 FTR 27 I love too.

On the winter run for the Come Alive tour I am taking a 1966 Fender Bassman head and a Naylor Superdrive 60 on the road. The Bassman is amazing sounding and has lots of vibe. The Naylor is the best amp I have ever played for solos and big Rhythm.

As far as effects I have a big Trailer Trash board that has basic food group stuff on it that I use for dates when I need a lot of options. I run 2 Line 6 delays, as I need more than 3 presets. I love the Memory Man but the Line 6 works great when I need presets. I have an old Nobles ODR-1 for overdrive and a Xotic Effects RC Booster if I need to add a little dirt to the clean. I also use an Fulltone OCD on the board too for a little extra muscle. I have an Arion Stereo Chorus (old one) for that Leslie thing, a AYA R-Comp compressor when I need it, a Sweet Sound Mojovibe for univibe stuff and a Fulltone Supa-Trem for Tremolo. With this board many are run through a true bypass looper to keep my signal chain clean.

Less is more and I usually keep it pretty simple as the more distortion you use does not translate very well out front sometimes. I run delays a little hotter live too as they can get lost out front. I love the tape delay settings as each repeat gets more nasally and translates well. Also for really vibe stuff the multi-head setting on the Line 6 is stellar to me.

For guitars that depends on the gig again. For instance on the Come Alive tour I took my Duesenberg Outlaw TV. This guitar pretty much goes with me everywhere. I also have my Jeff Senn Tele that is a staple now too. For the vibey stuff I took my Gretsch Tennessean with flat wounds. Jerry McPherson told me to do this 10 years ago and I never went back.

I bought Fender Aerodyne Tele from Mike Britt of Lonestar that is pretty cool too. This next run I will probably bring out my Gibson SG Heritage too. Great guitar and the Humbuckers sound great through the Bassman.

I aIso play Eastman mandolins (Amazing) that I take on tour as well as a Deering 6 String Banjo.

For acoustics it is my McPherson for sure. I have to capo quite a bit and it intonates no matter where I capo. They make amazing instruments. I would not leave the house without it. It is just one of those guitars that is effortless to play.

I also use Tone Freak effects on my smaller board and Elixir strings. They are the only strings I can play because of my sweaty hands. The sound great and last WAY longer than a normal string. I use them on everything. I am also putting Lollar pickups in everything I can. I have them in my Senn Tele, my Les Paul Goldtop and now in my Les Paul Jr. Love em’.

GD) What is your guitar-playing highlight?

BO) I was playing for James Otto last year when his single “Just Got Started Loving You” was at #2 on the country charts. When we did it live I played the opening riff with just me and the high hat to start the song. On the last show I did with him we opened for Lynyrd Sknyrd in front of about 9,000 people. Was a real rush when the crowd went nuts for the song when it was me at the front of the stage.

GD) Any new recordings / CDs in the works?

BO) I have always been more interested in making other people sound good. I love writing so I hope you will hear some of my songs on the radio!

GD) And the Duesenberg???

BO) Where to start… The owner of the US side of the company is my dear friend Nathan Fawley. He supported me when I first moved to town. My first Doozey was the Outlaw TV. He had me do demo clips for them on their website along with Chris Rodriguez (Keith Urban), Rod Janzen (Dierks Bentley) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty). No pressure there! That was a great help to me early on.

It is the one electric that covers SO much ground to me. It can do the strat thing, the rock thing and the big neck sound jazzy thing. The TV also has an alligator skin covering that just looks sweet too. The craftsmanship is great and it is really easy to play.

I also have a multi-bender that allows me to do pedal steel licks. If you have not played one, you have to. It is a great tool.

[ END ]

I love to hear about people who follow their dreams.

Like Brian said, talent and dreams can be very dangerous!

Congratulations Brian, on all of your achievements!

Visit Brian’s MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

You can also follow Brian on Twitter by CLICKING HERE.

Finally, Brian wanted share a few of his favorite guitar links… Please check out:

www.elixirstrings.com
www.mcphersonguitars.com
www.duesenbergusa.com
www.eastmanmandolins.com
www.lollarguitars.com

Eric Clapton

“The secret to guitar playing…”, “The 5 most important techniques…”, “The 10 steps to mastering chords…” blah blah blah yada yada yada…

To me, Eric Clapton summed it up when he said this:

“It’s not about technique. It’s not about what kind of instrument you play or how many strings it’s got or how fast you can play or how loud it is or how quiet it is. It’s about how it feels and how it makes you feel when you play.” — Eric Clapton

Special thanks to Josh at Guitar Lifestyle for finding this video!

Josh posted this Steve Vai video from Guitar Center Sessions titled: “How to Be Successful” yesterday. I have watched it 3-4 times now and each time I hear a new golden nugget of advice that I did not hear before.

The level of achievement that we have at anything is a reflection of how well we were able to focus on it… The only thing that’s holding you back is the way you’re thinking… Playing the guitar is my “juice”. -Steve Vai

I enjoyed this so much that I decided to start my daily practice sessions by watching this video. It’s the perfect 5 minute introduction to help me prepare mentally and focus on my practice goals.

The video is a lesson about guitars as well as a lesson about life. If we can find it within ourselves to adopt this way of thinking, we will all be better guitarists…and people.

Thanks Steve and thanks Josh!

Jimmy Witherspoon & Duke Robillard

I love the Blues.

I really love Slow Blues.

I know, it’s simple and basic and all of the shredders can play twenty notes for every single note in a slow blues song.

But the slow blues moves me. It moves me like no other music. Ronnie Earl, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duke Robillard and so many many others made careers out of mastering the slow blues.

13 years ago today, September 18, 1997, we lost Jimmy Witherspoon. He was 77.

Jimmy was not a guitar player. He was a singer. A blues singer. And in this case, a slow blues singer.

This recording is Jimmy Witherspoon’s last before he passed away, leaving behind a long legacy of great blues recordings. Jimmy died of throat cancer, which is evident in this recording as his voice is quite weak.

Enjoy this soulful rendition of “Going Down Slow” with Duke Robillard providing backup on guitar.

[Listen to "Goin' Down Slow"]

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Marc Playle was born in South Shields, England, UK on September 26th 1985. He first took an interest in playing guitar at the age of 14 when he and his friend Daniel were bored in the long summer holidays.

He converted half of his garage into a studio where he used to jam with his friends.

Having a missing left forearm meant he had to experiment to figure out the best way he could be able to play guitar.

After many ideas such as taping guitar picks to his arm and using socks and things he came up with the idea for a player which is a cast of his arm that was then made from acrylic resin. It has lots of features that enable him to do most techniques on the guitar such as: a cut out for palm muting and pinch harmonics, a part of a guitar pick for picking and a cut out of a leather belt used for tapping.

Marc has quite a story…and quite a talent. Not to mention an amazing drive to overcome anything that might get in the way of him playing his guitar.

Check out Marc online: http://www.marcplayle.com

John Daly is a cigarette smokin’, beer drinkin’, long ball driving professional golfer who is also a GUITAR PLAYER.

Now, on The Golf Channel, you can follow every step of John Daly’s road back to being one of the most elite golfers in the world.

I love John’s quote: “I don’t think anything’s ever too late”. I am rooting for you Big John!

“Being John Daly“ will chronicle not only Daly’s rededication to the game, but also his life makeover. As you witness his successes, failures and struggles, you’ll ultimately be with him on his roller coaster ride to potential redemption.

After last weeks post about young Tallen Latz, I went searching for other young prodigy guitar players.  (No disrespect to Tallen, I just figured there would be others.)

I found numerous videos of young Quinn Sullivan, who was introduced to a national audience when he appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2005 when he was 6 years old.

In the next few years he followed with appearances on stage alongside Buddy Guy and BB King.  He played in venues such as the Beacon Theatre in New York, the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, and Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago.

In 2008, he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In 2009, Sullivan was featured on The Today Show and opened for Buddy Guy on his East Coast tour during the summer in addition to playing his own set at the Austin City Limits Festival in the fall.

All that before turning 10 years old!

This is the video that started it all for Quinn.  A young boy, with no fear, stand up and nails the Beatles and the Blues.  Be sure to watch until the end when Ellen presents Quinn with a gift that blows everybody (especially Quinn) away!

A brand new Gibson ES-335!

Oh… to be 8 years old and playing the blues like this!

(For the record… Tallan was 8 when this was recorded… he is the mature age of 10 today.)

Tallan credits his musical influences to be none other than: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, BB King, Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Miller, Eric Johnson, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Derek Trucks, Rush, Keith Urban, Craig Young, Collective Soul, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Did he really say Bach & Beethovan??

Check out his MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS KID!

Today, we celebrate Veteran’s Day.

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans.

If you are visiting this site from outside the USA, I welcome you.

Please respect our nation’s pride in honoring those who have served, or are currently serving, in our Military.

Thanks to “Google Images” I was able to find a couple of guitar playing members of the US Air Force!

GuitarBuzz readers… I introduce to you: Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Kennedy (left) and Senior Airman Paul Wells (right).

This photo shows them listening to instructions during U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band rehearsals at Sembach Air Base, Germany on Sept. 22. Sergeant Kennedy plays bass guitar while Airman Wells plays lead guitar in USAFE’s jazz band Check Six. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. John E. Lasky)

ROCK ON GUYS!!

A wonderful post appeared on the “Play A Little Guitar” blog a few weeks ago.  It was the 2nd of a 2-part list about the author and his guitar playing…  I will re-publish the 2nd part below – be sure not to miss the original post by CLICKING HERE.

1- Before I took up guitar, I didn’t listen to instrumentals. With no words to sing along to, I just wasn’t interested. Now I love to put on some lyric-less Dick Dale or Leo Kottke or Link Wray because I can now appreciate what goes into making that sound.

2 – The original bridge pins on my Alvarez were white with black dots. A while back I switched to black pins with white dots. This did not improve my playing.

3 – I’m no masochist but I like it when my fingertips are sore. That means I’ve been working at it a lot and enjoying it a lot.

4 – It amazes me that Leo Fender couldn’t play the instruments he designed.

5 – I think if I started taking lessons again I could really make a leap.

6 – Once I start to get a song down, I tend to get tired of it and want to move on to something new. I wonder if I have a case of adult attention deficit disorder or something along those … Hey, look! There’s something shiny!

7 – I played so well yesterday I thought I was wearing someone else’s fingers.

8 – I’m working on a joke that starts “A Gold Top Les Paul and a Sunburst Strat walk into a bar …” but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I can’t even decide what kind of drinks they would order.

9 – I would have enjoyed “It Might Get Loud” more if the director had found someone other than Jack White to represent the younger generation. No disrespect to Mr. White.

10 – There’s something about the fretboard that bothers me. There are markers on the third, fifth, seventh and ninth frets but the next one is the double-dot marker on the12th. Shouldn’t it have been on the 11th fret? Can anyone tell me why?

11 – If I ever have to tune a guitar by ear, I’m sunk.

12 – I recently put a ding on the front of the Alvarez when I accidentally knocked a stapler off the desk. It’s not especially ugly but I was briefly distraught.

13 – Finger-picking sure sounds prettier than strumming but I’m just not ready for it yet.

14 – I’ll never be able to do a full F chord but I’m OK with that. I’ve got the baby F down.

15 – Regarding No. 12, it already had a couple of other minor dings. That just gives it character, right?

Be sure to click over and read the ORIGINAL 25.  I am still laughing at most of them!

Very well written.  And so true… so very true.