Guitar Nine Records - Interview with Michael Knight

At Rock Zone Productions we like to shine the light on talented, up-and-coming musicians. If you miss the days of hot shot guitar players, or the days of the Guitar Gods, then check out Michael Knight , a hot shot guitar player that plays like he's on fire! Michael Knight sounds like a cross between Marty Friedman and Steve Vai but somehow he also has a style that's all his own. Michael Knight: I remember when I was young, probably 8 or 9, my older brother played the song "Black Sabbath" for me. I think he was trying to scare me. The lights were out in the room, just a candle was lit, and I listened and just stared at the album cover, it had a witch in front of an old abandoned abbey. It was kind of scary, but also thrilling. Black Sabbath is a big one for me. Every rhythm I do is part Tony Iommi. Then there was Kiss, who actually made me want to buy a guitar and start playing. As far as guitarists and solo playing, Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker, and later on Joe Satriani made me push myself a little further, or inspired me to continue. Michael Knight: I started playing at about 9 or 10 years old. My brother (same brother) brought me to get my first guitar. I didn't take lessons for a while but then at 13 years old, I cut lawns to make money and got a few lessons - probably about 4 or 5 sessions. Years later I took a couple more lessons but only to confirm that I had things right. I wouldn't consider myself self-taught because I always had tons of music books. And I didn't start out with "Mel Bay" books and that "Mary had a Little Lamb" stuff. I started out with the Baroque Guitarist. I wanted to know everything I could and as fast as possible. Michael Knight: I remember it felt like a lot of money and I was nervous because I never saw that much money being spent on one thing before. It was like $200.00. It was a knock off of a Gibson Explorer. The place was in Hempstead, NY - I think the name of the place was...

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