
PLAYER NEWS, REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS: Master Shredder, Mike Campese
Mike Campese is a New York born guitarist that started playing guitar at the age of 13, and was exposed to music around the house, with his Father being a virtuoso violinist and his brother playing guitar. Mike, the youngest of the family, was heavily into Black Sabbath. Their music inspired him to learn the guitar and he began lessons with a Jazz guitarist. Mike was also heavily into Jimi Hendrix and other artists like Ozzy, AL Di Meola, Van Halen and many more.
Mike was very obsessed with the guitar and he played it day and night, hours on end. When he was very young, his Dad encouraged him to listen to all types of music including classical music. He said, “if you want to be a great guitarist you must be open to all types of music.” Mike began listening to the virtuoso violinist Niccolo Paganini, admiring his incredible speed and techniques. He was also listening to Beethoven, Mozart, Yngwie and Vivaldi.
Mike was in bands playing clubs, writing and performing at a very young age. After high school, Mike packed up and moved to Hollywood, California to attend one of the world’s top guitar schools, the Musicians Institute (GIT). Mike was studying with many great players such as Paul Gilbert, Scott Henderson, Norman Brown, Keith Wyatt and many others. Attending this school opened up many new doors that exposed Mike to many styles of music. Mike graduated with top honors.
Mike returned to New York to hone his skills, he put together and began playing in the areas top band, Mister Strange. The band was touring the northeast, playing in many known clubs like, CBGB’s, Lamoure’s and many big venues. They released a few Cd’s and they where opening for many national acts. After Mike left the band he formed the group, Jeckyl and Hyde, which was an all original project playing the northeast clubs.
Mike began writing intensely for his own solo projects. He formed his own band and recorded his first album “Total Freedom.” Mike got the call to be the opening act for the B-52’s, playing an all acoustic show to a sold out crowd and receiving a standing ovation. Mike released his second Cd “Full Circle,” which incorporates several styles of music. It was played on NPR radio across the U.S. Mike’s music and his guitar playing was growing and he was getting a following overseas. Mike continues to hone his skills by studying with guitar legend Stanley Jordan. He has also studied with NY guitarist Wayne Krantz off and on for many years and with Bill Connors of Chick Corea. Mike is a very versatile guitarist. He has played in a African band, pop group and a Jazz band. His main writing style falls in a rock fusion category, that mixes rock, blues, jazz and classical into a single style.
Mike appeared on the Jason Becker tribute Cd “Warmth In The Wilderness,” on the Lion Music label, which was an international release. Mike’s band continued to perform and open for many national acts such as Yngwie Malmsteen on 3 tours, Michael Schenker, The B-52’s, Lou Reed, The members of Yes and Asia, KC and the Sunshine band, Spin Doctors, Sebastian Bach, Dokken, Kip Winger, Rik Emmett Of Triumph, Vinnie Moore, Joe Bonamassa, Jon Oliva, Geoff Tate of Queensryche, Avatar, Michael Angelo Batio and many more. Mike played the National Anthem at hockey games at the Pepsi arena and for a local baseball team for thousands of fans. Mike has worked with Jimi Hendrix’s best friend Mike Quashie, writing and arranging and later led to Mike playing “The Max’s Kansas City” Benefit at the bowery ballroom, with Rob Stoner from the Bob Dylan band on bass and Dennis Diken of the Smithereens on drums. Headlining the show was Little Steven of Springsteen, Lou Reed, Garland Jeffreys and Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls. Mike performed at the Cruefest 2 show which featured Motley Crue, Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Rev Theory and more. Each year Mike performs at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California for the companies that he is endorsed by. The NAMM show is the largest trade show in the world and Mike has been playing there since 2007. Also, Mike is a regular performer at “First Night” in Saratoga Springs, NY on New Year’s Eve and he is the first person to ever play along with a fireworks display in Saratoga.
Mike released his 3rd Cd “Vibe” that has a classical influence, as well as other musical varieties. By this time Mike’s following overseas earned him radio play in several countries. In 2004, Mike was hired by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and received a Gold record for his work. In 2005 Mike released his fourth release “The New” which features some of Mike’s best playing and writing. By this time Mike’s music is featured all over the internet and all over the world.
Mike has been featured in many national guitar magazines such as Guitar Club in Italy, Guitar One and writes writes 2 page lessons for Guitar Player magazine, Guitar World magazine and Guitar Club Magazine. Check out the February issue of the Guitar Player Magazine, Mike has a 2 full page guitar lesson as well as the April issue of the Guitar World mag and in the January 2014 issue of the Guitar Club magazine. In Italy, Mike has been writing 2 page lesson columns for Guitar Club each month and has a 3 page interview feature in the October 2013 issue. Also, Mike writes for Axe magazine, which is Italy’s top guitar magazine. Mike has his own guitar column each month. Mike teaches over 70 students a week, and is one of the top teachers in the NY area. He has a constant waiting list and some of Mike’s students are from or went to successful bands. Mike has been judging the Guitar Center, Guitarmageddon and the “King of the Blues” contest for over 5 years now. Mike has released 3 instructional DVDs for Chops From Hell, “Virtuoso Rock Fusion Concepts”, “Creative Speed-Building Picking Techniques” and “Melodic Shred.” Mike also writes lessons for several online sites such as Guitar9.com, Ibreathemusic, Chops From Hell, Shed Academy, Premier Guitar, The Sound Guitar Magazine and many more.
Mike’s 5th solo release “Hidden Treasures” is mainly an all acoustic release. This is the Cd Mike always wanted to do to express his passion for the love of the acoustic guitar. This is not your ordinary acoustic guitar Cd, it has a very colorful mix of different musical textures featuring Mike’s virtuosity on the acoustic guitar. Mike’s fan base is growing internationally and his music has appeared on national radio and TV. Mike’s music has been used for a Lions Gate movie and he even appeared in a Busta Rhymes MTV music video. “The Meaning Of Christmas” is Mike’s 6th solo release. This CD features some of Mike’s balls to the walls guitar playing with his own original arrangements of 10 holiday classics and 2 of his own original compositions. Mike released his 7th solo Cd “Electric City” in the summer of 2010. The 14 song, over 76 minute Cd is filled with some of the most blistering guitar work Mike has ever recorded. “Electric City” has been getting a lot of press and radio play all over the world. Mike’s 8th solo Cd was released in the fall of 2013 and it is called “Chameleon”. This 12 track Cd features some of Mike’s best compositions and Mike dials in his versatile writing skills that he is known for and there is a special guest solo on the cd by Vernon Reid of Living Colour. Mike continues to tour solo and with a 3 piece band. In the fall of 2013, Mike traveled to Italy to do a Italian guitar clinic tour that was very successful. In July 2016, Mike releases his 9th studio album, “Chapters”. The 15 song, 67 minute album is mainly all acoustic, with a splash of electric guitar. The music on this album was written in Italy and Hawaii, during Mike’s journeys and inspiration. In the summer of 2018, Mike traveled to Europe to do a European tour of 3 different countries, Italy, UK and France. Immediately following his tour, he releases his 10th solo album, “The Fire Within”. The new album has 12 new songs and it is Mike’s heaviest album to date. It is getting great reviews all over. To sum it up, Mike is a all-around music performer, session artist competent in many musical styles, electric and acoustic.
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Exclusive Interview with Spanish Guitarist/Composer, Russ Hewitt
It has been quite a year for guitar virtuoso Russ Hewitt with his current CD, ‘Cielo Nocturno’, showing all the signs of becoming a run-away success. Shimmering with the rumba flamenco rhythms and lightning guitar runs that have become trademarks of Hewitt’s distinctive style, the album includes a stellar line up of returning musicians including percussionist Raphael Padilla (Miami Sound Machine, Chris Isaak), drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. (Santana, Steve Winwood, Chicago), bass player Bob Parr (Cher, Barry White), guitarist Alfredo Caceres (Gipsy Kings All-Stars) and most notably Larry Carlton who features on the delightfully easy grooving ‘North of Home’. The radio single featuring Larry Carlton was a mainstay on stations worldwide.
The recording was mastered by Chris Bellman who, in his time, has worked with the likes of Van Halen, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Elton John while completing the lineup are guitarist Ardeshir Farah (Strunz & Farah) on the fiery ‘Persian Sky’ and accordion player Vladimir Kaliazine.
Bellman mastered Hewitt’s two previous releases, ‘Bajo el Sol’ and ‘Alma Vieja’ which not only garnered outstanding reviews from around the world but also drew fulsome praise from his peers.
Accolades are coming from all over the world in forms of press and reviews including making the ballot for the 59th Grammy Awards (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Engineered Album, Instrumental Composition ‘Persian Sky’); Two silver medal’s from the Global Music Awards in the instrumental category for the song ‘Presido’ and album category for ‘Cielo Nocturno‘; Nominated for ‘Best Acoustic Guitar Album 2016’ from One World Music Awards; Nominated in the Best Jazz Single category from RoundGlass Music Awards (‘Samba Sao Paulo’). The latest CD also made several ‘Best of’ lists including #2 by Vincent Furnier at Soundcheckdfw.com, #4 by Travis Tutwiler at at Soundcheckdfw.com (‘Persian Sky’ featuring Ardeshir Farah was at #6 for his song of the year), #5 by Michael Debbage at MainlyPiano.com, Kathy Parsons at MainlyPiano.com (She did not put number orders to her selections) and honorable mention from Scott Itter at Dr.Music.org.
In addition to the ‘Best of lists’ several reviews added their own score rating: 9.5 of 10 by Arthur Gonzales at Rock N Roll Industries; 8.1 of 10 by James McQuiston at NeuFutur; a (perfect) “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 5.00 by Rotcod Zzaj at Contemporary Fusion Reviews; 4.0 out of 5 by Matt Jensen at Divide and Conquer; Five Starz by Scott Thomas at Guitarz Forever.
In fact the favorable opinion gained from Hewitt’s debut CD, ‘Bajo el Sol’, rapidly translated into prolific airplay and a ten-week stay at #1 on Music Choice. It took up residence on the Smooth Jazz indie charts for 16 weeks and the first track to be released to radio (the dazzlingly Latin flavored title cut) climbed rapidly into the Top 20.
The follow-up single, ‘Lydia’, enjoyed similar success, peaking at #15 and storming into the Billboard’s Top 40. Not content with that, Hewitt then made it three for three with ‘El Beso’ which also made it onto that same Top 40 listing and was named as one of the top smooth jazz tunes of 2009 by www.smoothjazznow.com.
In addition, ‘Bajo el Sol’ was generously acknowledged by the music industry. It was included on the ballot for the 52nd Grammy Awards in the categories Best Pop Instrumental Performance, Best Pop Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition, Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Engineered Album whilst elsewhere Hewitt gained an ‘Honorable Mention’ for the album’s title cut at the 2009 International Songwriting Competition.
When Russ’s sophomore project, ‘Alma Vieja’ came long in 2011 it delivered two more Top 40 smooth Jazz singles, ‘Pacific Sunrise’ and ‘Samba Samba’.
Not surprisingly, Russ has endorsements from a wide spectrum of suppliers and manufacturers. These include Godin guitars, Radial Engineering (Tonebone), Analysis Plus Cables, Morley Pedals, V-Picks, Neunaber Audio Effects, Voodoo Lab, BBF Pedal Boards, Primacoustic, Mission Engineering and DLS Effects.
Always striving to extend his boundaries into sound tracks and commercial work, Russ contributes artist interviews and a monthly guitar lessons column to ‘The Sound’ magazine whereas his prowess as a composer has resulted in five Telly Awards (for ‘Parent Compass’) and the DVD companion to the New York Best Seller ‘The Harbinger Decoded’ by Jonathan Cahn. Russ has written the music for the upcoming feature film ‘Thirst: Mission Liberia’ which has already won a Silver Telly in the Spiritual – Faith category and a Bronze Telly in the Documentary category.

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Russ Hewitt: 'Bajo el Sol' LIVE
Don't miss our exclusive interview with the amazing Russ Hewitt coming up soon on AGN. Here's a sample of Russ's amazing playing, 'Bajo el Sol' from the CD 'Bajo el Sol' LIVE
Lead guitar - Russ Hewitt
Drums - Ivan Torres
Violin - Wana Hong
Bass - Bob Parr
Rhythm and Harmony guitars - Daniel Eduardo Rodriguez
Percussion - Ricardo Tagliaferro
Rhythm and Harmony guitars - Alfredo Caceres
Percussion - Todd Hughes
Edited by Frank Sanza and Melissa Arnold
Audio edit - Bob Parr
A special thank you to:
Mark Markel & Phillip Pemberton at Analysisplus Cables (Black Oval); Vinni Smith at V-Picks Guitar Picks (Lite medium gauge); David Sestito at DLS Effects (RotoSIM); Nick-Kelly Gutierrez at BBF Custom Pedalboards, Paul Shedden & James Lebihan at Mission Engineering, Inc.; Brian Neunaber & Brian Bray at Neunaber Audio Effects (Immerse pedal); Peter Janis & Jim Rhodes at Radial Engineering Ltd. (ToneBone PZ-Pre) and Primacoustic (Broadway Panel); Robert Godin, Fred Di Santo & Simon Godin at Godin Guitars (OFFICIAL) (Grand Concert Duet); Bill Wenzloff at Morley/Ebtech (Volume Pedal & HumX); John Clark at Voodoo Lab (Power Pedal 2 Plus); D'Addario and Co. (T2 strings); TC Electronic (Flashback); Electro-Harmonix (Black Finger)

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John Hahn - "Fuel Injection"..... from Guitar Virtuoso John Hahn's latest album, “Undiscovered World”. click the INFO button for more details
Undiscovered World
Release: 28 November 2020
Instrumental Guitar Virtuoso John Hahn Releases “Undiscovered World” Featuring “Headbanger” Drummer Carl Canedy of The Rods, and Canedy.
Fantastic guitar centric album with so much emotion and virtuosity. A stunning record, more like a work of art. Not too over the top but technically amazing, not too cliched but able to draw real emotion from the humble electric guitar. The arrangement of guitar melodies and riffs will tingle and tickle the ears all the while blowing your mind.
John Hahn is excited to announce the completion and release of his new John Hahn instrumental release, “Undiscovered World” Featuring Carl Canedy on drums.
"Another impressive Cd from John Hahn. Progressive hard rock/metal melodic instrumentals with just the right amount of shred. Fans of earlier Dream Theater should appreciate the complexity of some of the tracks. A must for fans of guitar instrumentals."
~David T. Chastain – Guitarist, GM Leviathan Records
Early influences - John started developing his ear at an early age as his influences evolved drawing inspiration from “old school” guitar greats like, Ritchie Blackmore, Neil Schon, Michael Schenker and Steve Morse, and innovators like Eddie Van Halen, next wave players like George Lynch, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani who were blazing up the scene at the time. In later years, heavy influences included the likes of Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, Greg Howe, John Petrucci, etc.
"Hey John, I bought the album on itunes, and I have to tell you that it’s absolutely amazing! The astounding technique, great song craft, and outstanding production make this album a joy and inspiration to listen to from front to back! Congratulations John Hahn!"
~Paul Lidel – Guitarist, Dirty Looks, Dangerous Toys, 99 Crimes
Live Playing Experience - John gained very valuable performing experience touring the US and Canada where the band headlined packed venues as well as supporting such national acts as Ted Nugent, Foghat, Night Ranger and Winger, playing an average of 4 nights per week for 8 years…THAT’S OVER 1600 SHOWS!
In his own words… “Over these many years through my musical journey - playing, touring (estimated over 1600 shows), writing and recording, I have had the pleasure of meeting and making friends with so many people and have shared a lifetime of incredible memories! Guitar is my passion, and this new release is a snapshot of where I am at this point in time as a player and writer. It is my hope that as my style evolves, current friends and fans will enjoy the material as well as introducing a new audience to my music. I feel as though I have captured my best writing and playing in this release. Please spread the word…for many, my music is still an “Undiscovered World”.”
Into the Spotlight - While John Hahn had the club scene abuzz with his guitar wizardry, it was Shrapnel Records head Mike Varney who catapulted John to the national spotlight when he was featured in Mike’s Spotlight column in Guitar Player Magazine. Additional notable national press would include John being featured in a “Guitar School Magazine” article where he was named as one of the “Next generation of guitar heroes”, “the Vai’s and Satriani’s of tomorrow”.
John Hahn “Out of the Shadows” - John’s instrumental debut release "Out of the Shadows" on Leviathan Records in the US, Zero Records (Japan), Killerwatt(Europe) shot him into the limelight gaining much international praise and recognition in such publications as Guitar World, Guitar School, Rip, Guitar Player and Guitar for the Practicing Musician.
John Hahn “Darkness Falls” - Energized to create another instrumental CD, John then turned back to his studio, composing musical pieces complete with solid foundation songs laden with his signature guitar work of melody, technique, emotion, dynamics, feel, flash and fury!
“John and I have been friends for a long time, I played drums on his first album and he played guitars on my “Headbanger” album. I’ve always loved his playing, but I also loved his writing. On this album (Undiscovered World) his playing has improved greatly which is hard to believe because he had very little room to improve. The song writing is just fantastic on this release. I love every cut, and it was an honor to contribute to this album.”
~Carl Canedy – Drummer, Producer, The Rods, Canedy
Canedy “Headbanger” - John's next musical endeavor again had him cross paths with The Rods drummer Carl Canedy who approached him to play guitars on Carl's solo project "Headbanger". On this release you can hear John's signature style throughout this very powerful offering. John covered all rhythm and lead guitars, bass on one track and on two occasions traded guitar solos with Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Chris Caffery!! In addition to Carl, John had the privilege of sharing sonic space with amazing vocalists including Mark Tornillo (Accept), Joe Comeau (Annihilator, Liege Lord and Overkill) and none other than the greatest metal voice of all time, Ronnie James Dio (vocal tracks pulled from previously recorded version of The Code)!
"A pleasant musical journey that does not tire even for a minute… His influences by guitarists like R.Blackmore, N.Schon, S.Morse, E.Van Halen, J.Satriani, S.Vai & J.Tafolla appear within his compositions. I choose tracks “Fuel Injection”, “Heaven’s Fury”, “Thrill Of The Chase” & “Close To The Edge”. Check this release… worth it!"
~ Harry Norumaniac - ALBUM REVIEWZ

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Return of the Dragon: Oz Noy Brings Live Fire to Sweetwater Studios with Snapdragon
November 20, 2020, Fort Wayne, IN – Oz Noy has created a singular discography of virtuoso instrumental recordings that has won him accolades throughout the guitar community for his deft sense of touch and fearless genre-bending compositions. Always looking for the best way to capture the unique alchemy of his live performances in the studio ultimately led Noy to Sweetwater Studios where he laid down the tracks that ultimately became his Booga Looga Loo album. Eager to recreate the energy of these sessions, the guitarist/composer returned to Sweetwater to record his latest collection, Snapdragon. Out now on Abstract Logix, the album continues Noy’s signature explorations through jazz, blues, and rock with an all-star cast of rhythm sections that were captured live in the studio during a series of Sweetwater Studios Master Class sessions
The right room
One of Noy’s ongoing challenges has been capturing the improvisational ensemble feel of his live performances in his studio recordings. Eschewing the typical practice of recording in separate rooms with headphones, he prefers a setup that allows him to feed off the energy of his fellow musicians. Not only does this allow him to tap into the creativity of the group, but it gives him total control of the guitar. “If you record guitar and you aren’t in the room with the amp to feel the air moving, it’s very difficult to play,” he explained. “You can’t feel that interaction between the guitar and the amplifier in headphones and it makes things really hard.”
When Noy first visited Sweetwater Studios in 2017, he immediately knew that it would work for his methods. The large live room of Sweetwater Studios’ Studio A and its flexible isolation booths gave him the ability to play together in the room with his ensemble while having total quality control of the sound in the room and on record. “The guys at Sweetwater totally understood what I was going for and they had all the right equipment to make my ideal setup work,” he said. “It was such a simple process, all we had to do was plug in and play!”
A different class
In an added twist to the live sessions, Noy also scheduled them during Sweetwater Studios’ ongoing Recording Master Classes, which allowed both fans of his music and budding engineers to sit in on the tracking and learn the art of recording under real working conditions. Sweetwater Studios Producer/Engineer Bobby Dellarocco remarked that the addition of the built-in audience gave another angle to the performances that helped the album take shape. “With Oz’s style it’s always a performance whether there is an audience or not,” he said. “Doing it this way though, you’re really ensuring that you capture that kind of energy on a track, and it gives the attendees something really special while they are experiencing how a real session comes together.”
Part of what made each session was special was that Noy brought different rhythm sections each time he came to record. The players, which included drummers Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Dave Weckl, bass players Will Lee, James Genus, and John Patitucci, allowed him to capture different shades and feels of his signature style across the selection of tracks and give each its own sonic identity. “It gave a lot of variety from session to session,” said Dellarocco. “It was really cool to hear the differences, and at the same time once we put it all together it’s all immediately identifiable as Oz.”
“I look at all of my records as jazz records in a way, because in the end it’s all about getting different players in the room and just seeing what happens,” said Noy. “When you can get comfortable in an environment like this, it’s effortless to get takes and get some really good music happening.”
To hear Snapdragon and for more information about Oz Noy, please visit: http://www.oznoy.com/
For more information about Sweetwater Studios, please visit: http://www.sweetwaterstudios.com/
About Sweetwater Studios
Sweetwater Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sweetwater Sound, Inc., the largest online music instrument retailer in the country. With three world-class studios designed by Russ Berger and access to a greater diversity of musical equipment and professional audio gear than any other recording studio in the world, Sweetwater Studios is able to accommodate just about any recording, mixing or mastering project, no matter how simple or complex. Sweetwater Studios also has an exceptional staff of producers, engineers, session musicians and studio technicians to ensure that any artist will get personalized, first-class treatment from start to finish.
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