Guitarist Giovan Guido displays command of fingerpicking style on second album

(Brooklyn, New York) Written by Robert Sutton. In the hands of Giovan Guido, the guitar isn't just an instrument; it's a paintbrush.

Guido doesn't simply play the guitar; he illustrates moods with it, his command over each string apparent with every vivid portrait of emotion.

On Guido's new album Land of Cargessol, the surgeon's precision and poetic speech of his fingerpicking weaves sublime new tales. In "Aria," Guido's flamenco styling conjures a light, calming tropical breeze. However, on "Dig It," Guido's deft movements have enough forward momentum to fuel a storm as David Williams' thick, funky bass lines and Lewis Nash's giddily tapping drums deepen its sonic textures.

Whether playing fast or slow, there is a consistency of feeling in Guido's playing; this is a man who not only plays with swaggering self-confidence but with a tremendous amount of passion as well.

How did you fall in love with the guitar?

Since I was seven-years-old I've been surrounded by guitars and guitarists like my older brother and my cousins. They all had at least one guitar so at my eighth birthday my dad bought me one at my request.

I can say I started playing guitar at the age of eight but it wasn't until I was 12 that my interest in becoming a musician was fueled, when my mom played for us a cassette tape, the 1964 album by the Beatles Help! We loved the music so much that we started interpreting the Beatles. I was being George Harrison, my brother John Lennon, and my sister Paul McCartney. We started having so much fun and passion learning the Beatles songs, playing guitar and singing like them in harmony, so we started playing together.

At one point did it switch from being a playtime activity with your siblings to a musical career

I was 15-years-old when I formed a rock band, the Reejoice, with my brother on bass, my sister on vocals, me on guitar, and a friend of ours on drums. We played in some nice festivals and rock venues in Italy, had an album, and an article in a music magazine.

I was playing rock & roll up to when I was 17-years-old, when a friend of mine made me listen to Pat Metheny's "Are You Going with Me?"; I was struck by what I heard. I didn't listen to and was not interested in jazz before but after listening to Metheny's music I became interested in playing and listening to jazz.

I transcribed, learned and played by heart almost all of his songs and solos, and I started seriously studying music and jazz.

Now that you're a veteran with two albums already, have your views changed at all about the music industry?

Music is always been to me one of the most beautiful art expressions, and now that through music I lead one of my most important mission at this stage of my life, I have deeper appreciation and enthusiasm.

What are your goals as a musician in terms of your art?

I want my art to reach as many people as possible, contributing and being influential to the music world.

More Information: http://giovanniguido.com

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