One of the best things about my job is that recently I've been given the opportunity to sit down and talk to some of the players that had such a dramatic effect on my playing. Imagine my excitement when I heard Mike Stern was playing 3 consecutive nights in London. Needless to say I had to get tickets to those shows and try to line up an interview with the man himself.

What follows is a combination our interview, some words of advice and exercises from his clinic and some of the stories Mike shared in the cab.

The year is 2002, and Kerrang! Tv and the rock channels of the day (MTV2 anyone?) are flooded with a very strange blend of rock and metal – on one hand you had the great metal of the day including Killswitch Engage’s “My Last Serenade” is getting regular play, then that middle of the road grunge band Puddle of Mudd are doing well with “Blurry” and of course Tenacious D are setting trends with “Tribute”.... enter Inme, the trio of Essex lads who are still in their teens and the monumental single “Underdose”, It certainly made an impression on the youth of the day.

There's no avoiding the influx of internet shredders, and it certainly has something to do with the growing popularity of the X-factor style competitions like Guitar Idol and the hundreds of other competitions starting every day; not to mention how easy it is to record a great sounding record at home on a budget. This certainly isn't a bad thing - we really encourage the scene, everyone has an equal opportunity to present themselves to the world. The downside is that it's easy to dismiss, or never even come across someone like Australia's Chris Brooks. I can tell you - that would be a real shame! There's a clear Shrapnel era influence in his playing, but never at the expense of the melody. Chris has technique to boot but knows what makes a good album and there is no better example of this than his upcoming release "The Axis of all Things". I can't recommend this album enough, there's nothing better than hearing an instrumental guitar album that screams Tafola, Moore and Kotzen.

As you start reading this, you'll be thinking exactly as I did when my good friend Max Waibel told me to check out Panzerballet at this year's MusikMesse in Germany - I've never heard of them. Well all I can say is i'm certainly glad I took his advice - so I really urge you to read on an maybe discover your new favorite band. To quote another good friend Panzerballett do what any great band should "leave me confused, nauseous and with an urge to buy merchandise". There really is no band out there quite like Panzerballett, combining the complete mind melting polyrhythmic grind of bands like Meshuggah with the smooth sophisticated sort of Jazz you may expect to find in an elevator. There are solos Michael Brecker would be proud of and compositions Zappa would be jeleous of. From covers to originals - metal vocals to crazy atonal female singing (on a Rammstein cover that needs to be heard to be believed). There will be Cynic style cleans, and free improvisations all around. What's not to love? Check out their website and pick up their music now!

"Tom, outstanding guitar playing for only being 18 years old. You've got a bright future ahead of you!" - Derryl Gabel 

“Incredible playing and sophistication. Tom is the one to watch for the future of Fusion Guitar” - Tom Quayle

“Teen Guitar God” - Total Guitar Magazine

These are some of the comments levelled at this young Northerner who never fails to impress with his guitar skills.

5 years after he picked up a guitar, at the tender age of 14, a video of an unaccompanied solo he performed at his school was featured in the “Best of YouTube” section in Total Guitar Magazine praising his playing.

I was curious to find out more about him.

Brett Garsed is a true guitarists guitarist. For 3 decades now Brett has been tearing up the scene with his groundbreaking techniques, unique voice and his ability to write a great tune. From the infamous Varney spotlight column to arena tours with pop acts, and from session work to fusion shred-offs with Shawn Lane theres not much Brett hasnt done, yet he still remains one of those lesser known heroes of the guitar community. With 2011 seeing the release of Brett's latest work "Dark Matter" perhaps it's Bretts time to get that praise he deserves, or perhaps he will continue to be that mystical outsider with a cult following among the greatest players in the world. I recently caught up with the master to chat about life, music and all things Dark Matter, lets see what he had to say.

So who is this Michael Dolce chap then? Well read on and you’ll probably realise he’s much like Roy Buchanan in the sense that he’s probably the greatest guitar player you’ve never heard of... and yes, he plays a tele too. Michael lives out in Australia and for over 20 years he’s be tearing up the session scene and been the go to guy for many top 10 artists when they need a world class touring guitarist. Just recently he placed 11th in Guitarist Magazine’s reader poll for the top 25 Australian guitar players. His debut solo album “Everything Til Now” was released just a year ago and has gone down a treat with us here at Live4Guitar because of its focus on the music and not the technique, but don’t let that fool you – Michael can burn with the best of them, so go check him out on youtube.

Michael Watts is the manager of The North American Guitar, a company that deals in the finest luthier built guitars available. He is also an award-winning player and has appeared with some of the biggest names in the acoustic scene today.

While companies run amok selling $4000 dollar mass produced versions of their signature guitars – FNH guitars has been quietly perfecting custom hand-made electrics in the Northeastern USA at a price-point normally associated with Asian imports. I recently caught up with Chris Fitzpatrick and John Harper (the F and H in FNH guitars) and found out more about the concept behind both FNH and their instruments.

Marty Friedman is undoubtedly a guitarist with a unique style and approach to guitar. Through the years he has collaborated with top musician in the industry such as Jason Becker (Cacophony), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Ron Jarzombeck (Watch Tower) to name a few. Besides his band evolvement as a guitarist, he has also been releasing solo albums over the past 20 years. At the moment he is in the studio writing his new album and soon hitting the road. We got a chance to speak with him and ask him a few quick questions.