Hello, kiddies.

I want to thank Ava first of all for inviting me to share a few minutes with you. At first, I was a bit challenged as to what I could bring to the party. That's when it hit me in a flash: spin some funky tunes with the common thread being the guitar chops of course... Whether it's the chunky scratch of a funky riff or the experience of a full blown mind bending run, for me it's always been about having good chops. I learned that from my friend Mike, who incidentally is the primary reason Fufu Stew exists.

This little mix contains just a few damn fine tunes with some damn fine chops that have been getting the maximum rotation here in the kitchen over the past month. Some common, some as easy to find as a needle in a haystack, but all cooked up to perfection. When it was finished, I "put my foot in it" to make it extra funky. I hope you dig it as much as I do...

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---doing their thing.

A performer, entertainer, virtuoso, producer, author world traveler, guitarist...Bob Brozman is all of these things and more. We were lucky enough to catch Bob between gigs (who knew which side of the world he would fly to next!)

Find out what else this diverse global musician brings to the table and why he's our newest Guitar Hero! Then head on over to his official website for more on this mastermind of music.

What’s your background with the guitar? How did you get started?

It was a cold morning in Camden Market, when I entered a local CD shop and browsed through the shelves and the CDs on the display. The year was 2003. I left my homeland Israel to live in London for some time, and to see what life would bring me.

I had a cheap Epiphone acoustic guitar, which I took with me for the lonely moments, and my Rickenbacker bass, that came all the way with me, in order to find a psychedelic rock band, join them, get signed, make records, destroy hotel rooms and live a John Bonham lifestyle, including the fancy cars.

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---doing their thing.

It's the rockers that are the stars--but it's the teachers that make the difference.  For without them, those rockers would not have the motivation, drive, and skills that they have today.  Here at Jemsite, we'd like to thank all the guitar teachers who stood on the sidelines and coached their skilled guitar players to stardom.

Tony Hogan falls into that category. A guitar player of almost 40 years that played everything from bluegrass to Indian music on his acoustic, and a guitar educationist, Tony is a music lover and likes to "keep things simple and enjoyable." His demeanor may be so, but his plethora of genres sure isnt--Tony also dabbles in jazz, blues, and world music. He blogs about the experience on two major blogs: Acoustic Guitarist Blog and Acoustic Guitar Player.

Dave's second original guitar lick for Jemsite is the intro to a guitar instrumental he's writing.  This cool riff satisfies, but after we hear it, we're planning to jump on over to Soundclick.com to hear the whole thing on Dave's profile there. 

Now, while this seems like it could be an open and shut argument-- after all, how can immediate access to an entire world’s worth of music, past and present—not be a good thing? It turns out not everyone agrees with the sudden rush of inspiration provided by the technological revolution. And there are just as many reasons to demonize the internet as there are to praise it.

Some find the ready accessibility of music to be a distraction. Aaron Zimmer, on the eve of releasing his melodic indy rock CD, “Live Wires”, says, “For me, to be inspired, I have to stay away from all of that. Internet, TV, text messages, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace--all of it. For me personally, that kind of connectivity works against being creative. I need real-life experiences or heartfelt introspection to get songs out.” Like the rest of us, Aaron leaves the digital music treasure trove for his personal pleasure. “I DO love finding obscure Pink Floyd videos, or old Layne Staley interviews or whatever. But to be inspired, I have to weed out the distractions and get really simple.”