THE ARISTOCRATS

The three members of the band all had their individual reputations and followings. Guthrie was an underground internet guitar hero (those YouTube clips convinced lots of folks), with a highly acclaimed solo instrumental album under his belt, 2006′s Erotic Cakes. Bryan was a respected touring vet with Steve Vai, Dethklok, and Mike Keneally, and also had three solo albums out. And Marco was a veritable superstar drummer/clinician, having played with artists ranging from Adrian Belew, to Eddie Jobson’s UKZ, to death metal outfit Necrophagist…and had over ten solo albums out. Separated by thousands of miles (Govan in London, Beller in Nashville, Minnemann in San Diego) and occupied by numerous separate commitments, the guys began swapping mp3′s of the songs for the 6-tune set. Each member contributed two tunes. It was late December of 2010, and NAMM was only a few weeks away. The material was difficult and there was a lot read more...