Cetan Clawson And The Soul Side- White Heat (2006)

By Blurt Staff

What better time for the return of the guitar god? No, we don't mean pussyhounds ‘n' wannabes like John Mayer - we're talking Clapton, Hendrix, Blackmore, Iommi, Beck, Page, Roy Buchanan, Alvin Lee, Pete Townshend... should we go on? Okay kids, here's your new BFGP (Best Friend Guitar Player): Detroit's Cetan Clawson.

Clawson has rock star in his DNA and it shines through in his playing and his individual style. He is a perfect storm of mind-boggling musical technique, jaw dropping stage presence and a sartorial flair that rivals that of Prince in his prime. He classifies his style in a way similar to the video game that has kidnapped pop culture's often-fickle attention and places himself within a similar -but not the same- context. "Guitar Hero has combined an older mix of songs with a new way of presenting them," he theorizes. "They are taking classic rock and putting it in a format that newer kids can understand. That what blues guys do: take old things and make them fresh. They make it new, not better, but in an original way."

As kids everywhere rediscover actual playing in both games and on YouTube, and punk stagnates in a morass of mascara and morality, Clawson doesn't just commit heresy by playing leads; he plays them behind his head, behind his back, left-handed, right-handed, one handed and even with his teeth, boasting a style that can't be matched by guitarist nor gamer. "I have one small chip from a slight mishap before I practiced it a lot," he says with a laugh. "It takes a great deal of skill." Clawson himself admits that while the game exposes "the kids" to the artistry of the guitar, he thinks that hours spent playing the game would be better as hours spent playing the actual instrument.

1-Killing Floor
2-Short Fuse
3-Slingin'
4-Black Revolver
5-(Don't Want You...) Telling Me
6-Letter To The Exiles
7-Over The Top
8-Come On (Pt IV)
9-Chocolate Bomb
10-White Heat
11-Roadside Tracks
12-Indie Prizefighter
13-Diamond Scarlet
14-Loving A Living Lie
15-Voodoo Child (slight return)
320AAC
Puck's Place
Name pronounced Cheta/chettah..short "e"sound like in end