Adrian Belew is playing in my hometown tomorrow. I am so effing psyched!
Adrian Belew is my musical hero. <- That’s your fanboy rant disclaimer.
Mr. Belew was picked up by Frank Zappa while he was playing in a Nashville cover band. Belew then went on to play with David Bowie, Talking Heads and of course King Crimson. Adrian Belew was the first musician to use a commercial guitar synthesizer and he has truly pioneered the style of avant-pop guitar.
I’ve been a huge fan of Mr. Belew since early high school. I discovered “Salad Days” in the cd racks at my local library, and I’ve been hooked ever since. When I was 17 my girlfriend at the time & I attended a Bears(Belew’s side band)show on a school night. There were only 40 people there and we made up the entire “under 35” demographic. The concert was truly spectacular and that show is 1 of my top 5 favorite concerts. And yes, an Adrian Belew Power Trio concert is the best concert I have ever attended.
Some people listened to Springsteen or Phish throughout their high school years; I listened to a bizarro guitarist and songwriter. Judge me. Belew is a pioneer in modern music. <- That’s a fact. I honestly do not think that he has received the credit that he deserves. I just hope he gets the recogniton that is due to him before his time has passed.
P.S.: Thank you for reading this post. Please contact me if you are interested in diving in to Belew’s catalog. I have all of his albums and I am more than happy to suggest a starting place. Belew has tons of great pop songs too. Don’t judge his entire catalog by the bizzaro guitar wizardry embedded above.