The Guitar Hero series on Jemsite features interviews with guitarists and musicians who may not have star status YET, but their current situations have shaped them to be who they are--determined, fond of their craft, and heroes in their own right.  Perhaps you'll see in these upcoming entries the next Jimi Hendrix, Melissa Etheridge, or Duane Allman.  Or perhaps they'll become household names by doing what they do best--ripping a mean riff!

Clive Thompson is by no means a typical Guitar Hero (but then again, who is?) When I first decided to interview him for the site, I didn't know he had even picked up a guitar, let alone play one for 25 years. I wanted to interview him about his take on music and the video game scene.   Talk about the influence of technology on music and mention some of his major accomplishments, like writing for Wired.com and keeping up a hugely popular blog called Collision Detection. 

Of course, the musicians, teachers, critics, and aficianados that are interviewed on this site are all full of surprises and why should this one be any different. Wait, there's more.

Get this: Clive Thompson also plays banjo, ukulele, bass, and a bit of the keyboard,   Go figure. He loves video games and has a bit to say about the state of music in video games--and despite all this, I've still made him this week's Guitar Hero--well, because he's just that cool.

Cary Stewart is bringing music education to the 21st century as is his blog Third-Stream Music Education which inspires music educators to keep music classes related to modern society by using popular music and culture to teach and equipping them with the resources to do so.  

Cary seems the perfect man for the job!  As the Director of Bands and Middle School Fine Arts Team Leader an American international school in Asia, where he does everything from direct the Jazz Ensemble and Concert Band to conducting a faculty band ensemble, he has the  determination, and the stellar experience to see music education moving forwards and modernizing as the world changes.  

Oh yeah, and did we mention he plays guitar too? He may not be an accomplished guitarist, but he has dabbled in the area so much so that his school has come up with a guitar curriculum where he teaches students how to hold and care for the guitar, how to work left and right hand technique, read pitches, play basic chords, and work with a partner. 

Not bad for a man who has put his music appreciation and education to good use!

Just your average stereotypical band geek? Not exactly.  In our book, Owen Bradley was cool enough to take that determination and drive it takes to play an instrument and conduct an ensemble and put it to good use for a future career as a band director for a high school.  And he knew he wanted to do it since the 10th grade! 

Talk about going for your goals.  Owen Bradley is currently the Band Director and Chairman of the Performing Arts Academy at North Port High School in North Port Florida. A 1988 graduate of the Florida State University, he has been teaching for 20 years in Florida. He holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum with and emphasis in Integrating Technology in the Classroom and is a Sarasota County Schools NeXt Generation Educator. He is currently working on his doctoral degree in education leadership.

He's also a trained trumpet player and has tried his hands at jazz and has used his skills in musical instruments and technology alike to formulate innovative methods of music education.  

Wait, there's more. He also blogs on the side.  Check out his blog, The Digital Music Educator, all about those non-traditional methods.

Barney Hoskyns is an experienced music writer and editor having written for Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, Spin, Harper's Bazaar, and CD Nows and penned books Across the Great Divide-The Band and America and Waiting For The Sun.  

Yet in the midst of all that recognition and perhaps, publishing chaos, he's had time to found an incredible music website and archive called Rock's Backpages, that includes a library of over 15,000 interviews conducted by the best music writers and journalists in the business, an archive of music magazine past, an audio library with over 200 interviews including some from music legend Jimi Hendrix and blogs from veteran writers.