First, I want to welcome you to my new column here at All Access Magazine. This column will be based on the same principal as the guitar gods website that being that rock music is no longer in the main stream and that rock has returned to its underground origin. This is not to say that rock is dead, because nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, one should see rock as going through a metamorphosis. It means that we all have to be willing to seek out high quality music and this is where it can be found. There is no hard fast rule as to how and where it will be or who is playing the rock that will be popular when rock is in vogue again. Who will be the next superstar of rock? No one knows for sure, but it is my contention that it will be someone who has seen through the bull that has been fed to us by the clear channels of the world and has persevered in their quest to be true to the music, placing quality above all else and producing music instead of product. The guitar gods of tomorrow will play music with real lead guitar, they will sing with tone and harmony, they won’t be demonic screamers or rappers. The guitar gods may be different than any musicians you have heard of ever before. They may be retro, they may fall into old classes or be placed into new ones. What they won’t be are products created by record companies. Instead, they will be found by talent scouts, club owners and promoters, and dick jockeys. This is a very exciting time to be in the business, waiting to see where the next star is found! I know I am constantly on the lookout for that next star and when I find them, I write about them and try to help them play in more clubs and shows. I tell club owners about them and I recommend them to the feature acts I know to try to get them gigs. Over the past few years, since the founding of the guitar gods website, I have written about these bands and mostly about guitar players, but also about special people in music. I find in joining up with All Access Magazine, I will be more dedicated than ever to bring my readers insight to the gods of guitar, new and old, where they are and what they are doing and where they are playing so you can see these great talents on their way to rock fame. This month I am going to feature Frank Hannon.
As a founding member of Tesla, Frank Hannon has been appreciated as a good guitar player by most rock fans, but Frank’s talent goes much deeper than that. We all know that Frank can both write and perform harmonized 2 lead guitars in a manner few bands have ever done with a melodic purity equal to Def Leopard’s Clark and Collen or The Scorpion’s Schenker and Jabs. Hannon writes beautiful Spanish influenced acoustics combined with shredding leads that leave guitar players looking on in awe. Fair enough when he does this with
long time partner Tommy Skeoch, but 2006 had Hannon crossing the globe with unknown Dave Rude and many critics felt this may have been Tesla’s best performances in years. Hannon has another endowment and that is a great ability to surround himself with great talent in his many musical ventures. Hannon has had several bands including Moon Dog Mane, which featured artists Brodie Stewart, Kevin Hampton Chris Martinez, Joel Krueger and Thunder Goddess Cortney DeAugustine, all great talents in their own right.
Frank’s latest undertaking has him teamed up with Krueger and drummer Robbie Furoisi playing with either a two or three guitar lineup. I much prefer the trio of guitars myself and am partial to the axe masters Dave Rude and Billy Raney. This trifecta of lead guitarists gives the band a powerful sound that hasn’t been heard since the original Lynyard Skynyard band. The Frank Hannon Band has been promoting their first album Guitarz from Marz, and is available at http://www.frankhannon.com . The album is well engineered and has several quality tunes, including the title track, Diamondz in the Sky, as well as RE-Evolution, Electric Warrior, Angel featuring Furoisi on vocals, and my personal favorite, Eye Of The Mind.
Hannon is a great talent often playing 3 guitars in a single song, one an acoustic and two and three being his Gibson Double Neck 12 over 6 SG. His unique ability to move from axe to axe is unequaled and is a great pleasure to watch live and this immense talent is what makes Frank Hannon a Guitar God. The band is currently touring the U.S. in support of the album. Check their website for tour info as new dates are being added all the time.
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