Getting respect from the peers is always a thing musicians like to get. I stole a chance to have dinner with Jeff Soto, his wife, and his kid last night at P.F. Changs. As good of friends as Jeff and I have been, we don’t get to see much of each other anymore due to his intense schedule in the past couple of years. So it was good to have a little time to catch up and chat. Jeff is known for working with amazing guitar players. It’s no wonder. He’s got a voice to match those players. Of course it’s a thing where you want to match the level of talent you work with to be around your level or higher. Jeff certainly has a ton of respect from some of the biggest artists in popular music history.
After dinner Jeff asked to hear some of my new material. So of course I let him listen. He’s certainly heard my progression from when we met to well, now. His response was part of that validation that we all like to hear. Killer tune is the response to Hero Unexpected. He really liked Practical Insanity when I finished it, he felt I had hit where I needed to be. But this reaction solidified it. Actually all the reactions I’ve gotten with it and other new material has been top notch. It’s a good feeling. Makes you feel like you’re getting a commotion going that will snowball.
It’s been a week where I’ve noticed several songwriters using some cool effects for the guitars. Time to cap off the weekend with a notable instrumental guitarist that most people have never heard of, Marc Bonilla. Truth is, I don’t even know a lot about him either. What I do know is that he is a really good guitarist with a really nice attitude. I’ve seen him play live. He’s down to earth. He’s solid. I believe he worked in Toy Matinee, but I’m not sure. If so, I believe he would have also worked with Kevin Gilbert. Wow, thinking of that I have to find some Kevin Gilbert material to feature here. Always liked his stuff and yet, I’ve never found anywhere to buy it. Surprise, even I remember things I haven’t thought of in a while.
In one of those why? moments, Marc doesn’t have a website other than an entry on a Wiki. Marc’s CD isn’t on iTunes – However it is on Amazon. Go explore. It’s a trip. Hence the reason he called it EE Ticket. See there was a time when Disneyland operated on tickets of different names for different rides. The more intense rides were E and double E ticket values. Or at least I’ve heard that’s how it worked. Either way, the CD is a good ride.
(** Disclaimer: If Marc’s label decides to take me for a ride, I’ll have to pull the audio down for maintenance. The post will remain to show that it’s always nice to get recognition from your peers. **)