Eric Clapton is one of those "guitar gods" who gets all the respect afforded by classic rock radio and guitar player magazines, but not much from rock critics in general.
Maybe it was the adult contemporary sounds of the '80s and '90s, but it's hard to imagine some young punk scrawling "Clapton is God" on an alleyway wall these days. But Cream, the power trio of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Clapton? Well, now we're talking.
Enter "An Evening of Rock Guitar," brought by White Room Productions to the Compound Grill this Wednesday, March 28. The kick-off event for what Southwest Arts & Music, The White Room Production by Melodik Productions hopes to be a long line of similar events. Those attending can expect much more than great food, happy hour cocktails, and Cream covers. It's an impressive collection of sage musicians that excel in guitar.
Case in point: I was listening to my iPod on shuffle the other day, and two minutes into one of the songs I had to check out the artist. Before that, I was sure it was some classic rock legend, or a solo album from some guitarist who has mastered the art long ago. It was clean and pure; and the solo went on for almost a solid straight five minutes, ranging from melodic and slow to intricately fast and upbeat.
It turned out to be Arizona musician Grant Ferguson's "November", from his album Decay & Devotion released last year. And he's also the headliner at "An Evening of Rock Guitar".
The event features opening acts and surprise guests who are considered to be extra amazing for their guitar prowess. For example, this Wednesday expect to see blues-rock Boneyard with Carole Pellatt, and multi-string maestro Billy Cioffi. For the finale, Ferguson will take the stage with original music merging hard rock, blues and pop--not to mention tributes to some of his favorites like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton--alongside guest singer Tricia Roscoe (formerly of Soul Funktion).
"An Evening of Rock" is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28, at Compound Grill.
