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!

Who knew a Netherlands guitarist and jazz music could come together? Now they have! Despite the fact that Jens Larsen began his guitar playing skills studying classical guitar and later turned to electric to get out the Jim Hendrix he held inside, by the time Larsen moved to jazz guitar, he knew it was the right thing for him to do.

A Scandanavian musician who sees the beauty in jazz guitar? Now that's our Guitar Hero!

What’s your background in guitar and how did you decide to focus on jazz guitar in particular?

I started out having lessons in classical guitar when I was 12. Where I lived in Denmark you could not get lessons in any other kind of guitar at that time. I did not get an electric guitar before I was 17. And it was later when I moved to the city that I started lessons on electric guitar and playing in bands etc.

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!

Australia, too, can rock out with the best of them, and it holds some of the best guitarists on the planet! Chris Cheney...Tommy Emmanuel...Paul Dempsey...and then there's Peter Hodgson, who picked up guitar at age 7, counts David Bowie and Steve Vai as major guitar influences, writes consistently for his guitar blog I Heart Guitar, chats with John McLaughlin about fusion, and owns his dream guitar, which happens to be a JEM!

And so much more!

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!

Just call him the Talking Heart.  After all, guitarist Kraig Kenning certainly believes that his live performances are merely his heart talking out loud.  His music, a blend of wispy ballads, folk, and Americana, proves his passion for his craft and he'll be the first one to admit that he hopes it truliy comes through in his shows.

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!

None of the Guitar players I've featured so far in this series are your typical guitarists.  But Carl Wilson completely deviates from the rest.  When I caught sight of Carl for the first time, it wasn't his playing that caught my attention (in fact, I didn't even know he played guitar), it was his recognition as a music critic for The Globe and Mail, who has critiqued singers, groups, and bands, had to know what he was talking about with musical sounds (including instruments) and had probably seen and heard a good many guitarists in his day.

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!

It's ok to call him a Guitar Geek.  In fact, he allows it! He doesn't mind the stigma. After all, he does go by the name JP Stratoblogster.

But this Stratocaster fan is so much more then just a Strato geek.  He's also a pure Fender Stratocaster aficionado, a guitarist extraordinaire, and the creator of Strat-o-blogster Guitar Blog targeting all thing--yep, you guessed it!---Stratocaster! 

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!

Don't call him merely a guitar player.  Joe Vasconcellos won't just play one instrument, or put himself in one music genre.  Perhaps it's the fact that his family background is a plethora of cultures including Chilean and Brazilian.  Perhaps it's because he loves all people and all things and wants his music to say so.  Perhaps it's because he wants everything he does (play drums, write music, strum guitar, and combine Latin Rhythims with intense lyrics to reflect the beauty in the world.