Guthrie Govan Discussion

Zack · Joined: 07 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Well firstly I am new to this thread so I just want to intro myself.
Helloo everyone I am a guthrie and bumblefoot fan. I do like other musicians too but i will stop with those two for now Smile

So back to my topic which is all based on my biased opinion so feel free to attack on my points Cool

Ok so to me Guthrie is just simply amazing!! He is probably one of the most amazing guitarist/musician I have ever heard but the sad fact is that they never appeal to the majority of the crowd. Maybe it's because he has gone to the extreme of becoming so good that the majority of the crowd do not understand. It applies to Shawn Lane, BBF and etc...

I have to give credit to Guthrie for being an extra melodic than the guitarist mentioned above specialy his improvising (God LIKE)
This does not mean that BBF, Shawn or Greg Howe or all those superb guitarist can't improvise :p

So why can't Guthrie be well known like Vai, SAtch or even like JerryC/Funtwo the internet canon in d sensation brothers??

I say his too good for the general crowd to understand him. I doubt Beethoven, Bach or those calssical geniuses were famous at thier times either.

But I know for a fact that he will always be appreciated and respected by musicians/guitaris by the minority (You and me Smile

Maybe after 50 years the genral public will appreciate his brilliance but for now, I doubt he will ever get recognition he deserves Sad

My apologizes for poor English

Zack

Resi · Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 50

He could be if he wanted to be.

NESFantasy · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 64 Location: Maryland, USA

Your english was fine. Perfectly understood.

I think one key issue when discussing popularity is timing. But something else that must be covered first is what level of popularity we're talking about. Popular among guitarists? Or a household name?

Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, and the like are household names. I somehow doubt Guthrie will ever reach this point, due to something I'll mention briefly.

Among guitarists? Sure, he could be as popular as Vai or Satriani, etc. It would take some hard work to get the attention he deserves, but with the help of those amazing guitarists who already realize his talent, many could be pointed in his direction.

But as I said, one key issue in duscussing popularity is timing. The big name stars are the ones that years ago put their mark in music. As they've continually hammered out their names and recognition has spread and blossomed, they've become stars and noticeable. However, the reason for their initial success was because not only did they do something that was different and grand, but because the mainstream market was listening at the time!

In the late 70s and 80s, metal was popular! Whether it was glam rock, or heavy metal, over the top guitar playing was the thing to do to be recognized. That's what helped Vai get noticed, and support from his initial fanbase which had a chance to grow over time, even when the guitar wizardry faded out of interested with the mainstream public.

So, because the market isn't as receptive now as it used to be to great guitar playing, Guthrie COULD become a big name in the guitar world, but not a household name, because most of the house doesn't care who can play guitar and how well.
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Zack · Joined: 07 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Yngtchie Blacksteen · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Norway

alexkhan · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA

You never know how things will go in this business. I doubt, myself, that Guthrie's instrumental solo albums will ever reach beyond a small niche that's dominated by the likes of Vai and Satriani at the moment. But my thinking is that making albums like 'Erotic Cakes' will be a rather small portion of all the things Guthrie will be doing in the future. You know, he could guest as a soloist on some pop-rock song that becomes a theme to some hit movie and become famous. You never know.

This business is about making the right connections and being at the right place at the right time. Look at what happened to Santana. Would Eric Clapton have made it as big past his prime without 'Tears in Heaven'? The biggest mainstream "guitar hero" at the moment is arguably John Mayer. The guy's a great player but very few in the audience would even care about his prowess on the guitar. Who knows what connections Guthrie will make in the future to reach a wider audience?

I recently sent a copy of 'EC' to John Shanks, quite possibly the hottest producer (2005 Grammy winner as 'Producer of the Year') in all of pop-rock LA/Hollywood studio scene. John Shanks is an old friend of John Suhr's. Here's more about John Shanks:

http://www.johnshanks.net/

He was absolutely amazed by the album and you know Guthrie will be in the back of John's mind when he's got various projects going. Personally, I think Guthrie would be great for doing soundtrack work; a song like 'Waves' would be a really cool opening scene music for some slick Hollywood urban action thriller. Guthrie himself has stated that the idea of doing studio work is very appealing. Guthrie can perfectly mimic virtually any musical style known to mankind with or without a bit of his own personality thrown in, he can read and write standard notation (unlike the vast majority of guitar players), he knows how to restrain himself and play within context of the songs, he has tone and all these other qualities that make him perfect for those settings.

We'll see how it goes. The future is totally unpredictable. Guthrie is at the beginning of a career that will stretch two or three decades. I know Guthrie couldn't care less about becoming "famous". He's certainly not in it for the money or fame. But with the right connections, I think he'll get plenty of opportunities to play in some high-profile gigs (both in recording and touring) in the future.
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sumis · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 570 Location: gothenburg, sweden

geez! who gives a damn? of course i whish him the best of luck in his life and career (like i whish most people in the world). his music and guitar playing has meant a lot to me. but if he's famous or not ... c'mon!

leave the guy alone to do his stuff! if he does things that you like, support him -- if not, then don't.

ed, btw: if we'll find guthrie busy with soundtracks and less interesting commersial studio work, i'll know who to blame Wink

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alexkhan · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA

Javi · Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 78 Location: Spain

... And now we are living in a time when there are thousands of guitarists to satisfy any possible weird taste you can imagine. The listeners have spread out immensely and the competition to attract fans has grown and has multiplied by 1000 times after the 70s and 80s. Why? The technology of the information and the way we use it in nowadays makes very difficult for the guitarists to attract enough fans to satisfy their lack of fame and their pockets. Since the beginning of INTERNET the prospect for big names or people who want to be another Hendrix or another Satriani has shrunk inevitably and to have a big recognition like those ones I have mentioned before is something nearly impossible now. GG can have a big recognition but not the massive recognition that some guitarists had in the 80’ for factors well mentioned in earlier threads. As Ed said, the time and the links Guthrie will make with the empire of the music business will decide the future of Guthrie. One thing is clear: in one way or another Guthrie Govan will provide for those ones like me, who like good music, with amazing guitar playing for many many years … and that’s all about.
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frankus · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:37 am Post subject:

A two page interview in Guitar Techniques and a blisteringly good review of the Album would be a good start... oh look November 2006's GT has those.

Okay, another thing would be a forum where people can make all sorts of comments about Guthrie's chances of becoming famous... or tab his tunes out or make duplicate threads about tabbing the same track out... leaving the mods with a bloody awful job deciding whether to delete threads or let them clutter the techniques section.... hey!! we have that too.

So an album would be good too, something with a killer anthem to get it going.. check.

Big Name people endorsing the album like Satriani, WhiteSnake and some other guitarist dudes. Got that.

Guitar deal with a well respected guitar manufacturer... um check..

Played in some big bands and had influence over the output... check

Okay so he has all the trappings needed... he could go on Big Brother, or some Celebrity Chef Show.. personally I think the best thing would be an episode of the Simpsons where Bart takes a guitar teacher, I reckon Guthrie could have a lot of input on all the things Parents and Students do that is highly dumb.

That or change the music they play at the Imax for the 3d Simpson's trailer.. the problem is small kids get freaked out by Homer Simson hovering on a ladder over them... so if that was set to Erotic Cakes they would be convinced he's going to fall on them and bad but strange things are going to happen.

However until that moment, here is a map of Springfield for Simpsons fans.

What might be good is a concept album... like Dark Side of the Moon alledgedly being synced to The Wizard of Oz... I can't think of a worthy film, anyone any ideas?
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Edovinus · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 92

frankus · Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:51 am Post subject:

Someone playing a Les Paul on the front of it... a tops article on Wes Montgomery and Groove Elation by John Scofield tabbed in full Cool

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Fabulous powers were revealed to me the day I held my magic Suhr(d) aloft and said "by the power of great scale!"

I have the power!

Edovinus · Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 92

Thanks, Frankus.

Dee · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 91

Guthrie could probably become as big as Satriani, et al. What could possibly push him further into the limelight is a stint in a well-known band. I used to listen to Vai when he was in Zappa's band, but admittedly I was very young at the time and probably didn't see his full potential. Later on, it was the fact that he was in Dave Lee Roth's band that brought him to my attention "properly". I think that it might be a similar story for many other people too. Satriani really started making his mark around 1987 with the release of Surfing. Why did I check him out? Because of the Vai connection, of course. Back then it wasn't so easy to check out new artists as it is today, obviously we didn't have the Internet to download samples of his work, we took more of a risk and went and bought albums right off the bat without hearing them. I loved Surfing With The Alien, at the time. Satch appeared at a point when shredding (for the want of a better word) was at it's peak, and that helped push him along. If Joe came out now, I doubt he'd get quite as much attention. We're back to timing again...

I think Guthrie could become much bigger if he makes the "right" moves. It depends how much he wants it. I know one thing -- Erotic Cakes appeals to a much broader audience than Passion & Warfare, Surfing With The Alien, or in fact many of the classic, guitar-based albums. You can almost guarantee that anyone who listens to that album -- no matter what genre they are most interested in -- will find a track they enjoy. Such diversity is a great thing.

DaveUK · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 11

He already is. Just not in terms of huge record sales or iconic status like Vai etc. Most guitar players that I come accross know who he is, and love his work.
I think for him to get beyond the niche market level, he needs a leg up, maybe something like a spot in G3.
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