Picks of Greatness

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Guitarists, long the target of our undying adoration and subject of some of our fondest musical memories, have always been (and always will be) the subject of some of our most intense musical discussions.

That's why we decided to have a discussion of our own ... and settle (or not) who the guitar heroes of our scene are.

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Young Gun -- Zach Priester

Priester, 19, from Jackson, first picked up a guitar at 11 because his father and uncles all played.

"I didn't really have formal training until I started college," said Southeast Missouri State sophomore Priester. "Now I'm studying classical guitar with Dr. Jeff Noonan."

Priester counts Pat Matheny, Steve Vai, Robben Ford, Joe Pass, George Benson, Allan Holdsworth, John Williams, Derek Trucks Band and Lee Ritenour as "people who have influenced me."

"These people are all different styles, but I mainly started with rock, blues, and popular music," said Priester. "I progressed toward more jazz and classical, and I still like all of them, but prefer jazz the most."

PANEL COMMENTS

Keller: If you're saying just young guitar player, I say that Zach Priester kid can smoke 'em all.

Kirby Ray: Yeah, you're safe to say that!

Samons: What about Chase from Fists of Phoenix?

Kirby Ray: Chase is a good guitar player and so is Daniel but they are nowhere near this guy.

Keller: Well, Zach can smoke most of these older guys. If we're talking about best he is one of the best. This kid is 19 years old and he can hear anything once and go "Oh, that's what you want?" He was good enough to win the Guitar Center Guitarmageddon, I think it is. He's phenomenal.

Samons: I'd say that qualifies him!

Mallet: He's not looking to start a band, is he?

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Master of Acoustic -- Mike Renick

Renick, 29, was born in Edina, Minn., but has lived in Cape since age 12. So when did he get time to start playing an instrument?

"I messed around off and on from when I was very young," said Renick, "but started playing all the time around 18 or 19."

But Renick said that acoustic-based music has always been his favorite.

"I'm drawn to music that is very rhythmic, and the acoustic guitar can be very percussive if you play it that way," said Renick. "That's how I approach the guitar when I play it."

Artists that have influenced the acoustic rocker's style are Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews and "even more electric guitar-based groups like The Police ... and I can't get enough Motown."

PANEL COMMENTS

Kirby Ray: When you're talking acoustic guys, I would go Mike Renick up high because who in the heck gets a better crowd for an acoustic show.

Samons: I would go Renick as well.

Kirby Ray: I mean the Dirty 30s get a good crowd coming down from St. Louis, but for me it's Renick.

Keller: Yeah, he always gets them out there.

Kirby Ray: I've seen so many acoustic guys that do play in this area that are good but it doesn't have the energy of the show that Mike Renick has. I mean he's sweating and the crowd is just going bananas for him and they keep wanting more and more. You can't get all the people outside in the door.

Mallet: I would definitely go Mike Renick on this one.

Samons: Yeah there are some nights when Riley (Dirty 30s) just holds an acoustic, but he has a great voice.

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The King of Rock -- Party Nate

The area's best rock guitarist says that metal has always been his muse.

"The style of music that affected me the most would have to be heavy metal," said Party Nate, the 24-year-old from Sikeston. "I grew up loving heavy metal when I was younger for the rage, heaviness, speed and complexity of the guitar riffs. That included every type of metal from the 80s; but Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica and Exodus ... they were the be all, end all. Anything I was doing included metal. I was in a punk band growing up, but it just never felt like metal!!!"

Nate, who started playing at 14, credits his vocal training as a major influence on his music.

"I learned most of the things I know about music through sight reading, the studying of harmonies through major and minor scales," said Nate, "and techniques for exercising and better breathing,"

PANEL COMMENTS

Samons: Nate is just amazingly good.

Kirby Ray: I would definitely put Rock Solid on the top of the hard rock pile around here.

Keller: Party Nate in particular.

Mallet: Yeah I would say Party and Jessie (Shivitz) too.

Samons: I would say Tommy (DeWolf), but really when it comes down to it I just think Party edges him out by a little.

Kirby Ray: Sure I see what you're sayin. With playability you're saying Party Nate can do anything Tommy can do, I understand that ... I think that's the truth.

Samons: To me, you can't have a guy be number two or three in our top five guitar players in the area, but not be the best rock guy.

Mallet: I can agree with that.

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The Legend -- Bruce Zimmerman

Bruce Zimmerman first started playing music in 1956 when he was only five, picking up on how to play the guitar by watching his father's band play.

"My dad taught me the basic chords in the open positions and then pretty much left me alone to figure it out," said Zimmerman, 55, from Bernie. "My older brother Dewayne started playing at the same time, and by the time I was nine we had a working band with two of our cousins. I have never really been out of a band since then. I never had any formal training or took any lessons."

The only lessons Zimmerman ever took was from music throughout the past 50 years ... everything from honky-tonk to The Beatles and even Motown.

"I've been playing so long that really covers a lot of territory," said Zimmerman. "There is always someone coming along that inspires me. I could go on forever about it."

PANEL COMMENTS

Keller: Every time he steps on the stage he's going to perform the best he can and he's going to entertain everybody.

Mallet: He's the most effective. And not that he's the fastest or most talented guitar player in Southeast Missouri, but just the fact that he's been around so long and people respect him so well and the fact that he plays cause he enjoys it, not cause he's making money or anything.

Kirby: I can't think of anybody who fits this area and would be a better person to represent the music scene of this area because he's tapped in to what this area is about music-wise.

Samons: There is no way I could argue for anyone else over Bruce. He is a total professional.

Kirby: I think the words that everyone keeps thinking of here are style and class.

Keller: Yeah, he's 54 with a 25-year-old girlfriend ... and she's hot! I mean, come on.

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