There’s no question that Guitar Hero has had a huge impact on the video game industry as well as on the music industry.  The popularity of the Guitar Hero franchise has brought millions of new music fans and introduced countless people, both young and old, to the guitar.

It’s also brought a young guitar hero from Ohio some unexpected success.  Fretbase had a chance to catch up with Brian Kahanek and find out more about how his song “Gemini” came to be included in Guitar Hero II.

How did your song “Gemini” end up being included in Guitar Hero II?

I was doing demos and clinics for VHT amps at the time and Marcus Schefer was their new A&R / Sales rep. He made space at their 2006 NAMM booth for long time friend Marcus Henderson to put up a little kiosk for the first Guitar Hero. Henderson mentioned that he heard me playing and wanted to check out my first record “Real Life”. Three months later I get a call from him while driving back from a show in Sacramento saying that he had selected “Gemini” to be an “unlock track”. I was so busy with my second record Suicide King and working sessions that I didn’t understand how big it really was. Now I do! The bottom-line is that both those guys are the reason I am in the game. They gave me a real gift.

From a musician’s perspective, we have heard both arguments both for and against games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band and it’s impact on music. We’d love your thoughts on the gaming platform as an entrée into guitar.

What’s not to like, is my thought. From where I stand these games have exposed a whole new generation to some great music. It’s the music that lights the spark and gets the fire started to learn to play. Unfortunately, with music being pulled from so many public school’s curriculum, the exposure and opportunity for inspiration has to come from an alternate source. In this virtual age, whether it is a video game, a movie soundtrack on the iPod or YouTube video is not the point anymore, as we probably won’t be able to change the fact that kids are sourcing the majority their entertainment in an electronic format. We need to use these tools to reach out to the youth and stimulate their senses in a way that gets them off the computer so they interact and learn in real life situations. I love hearing from young players that started by being inspired by Guitar Hero / Rock Band, because I see how passionate they are about music and the guitar. There is some great up and coming talent out there!

"Look at the flame on this one..."

What’s your main guitar these days? Why do you go with that particular guitar?

I am a Gibson junkie. I was a Strat player for many years … still love ‘em and own a great one! But I bought my first Les Paul in 2002 and haven’t looked back. My main guitar now is a 2009 Gibson Custom R9 VOS Tea Burst. My feeling is, from 2006 on have been incredible years (guitar-wise) for the Custom Shop Nashville and Montana. I have a lot of respect for the folks who have their heart and hands in directly making these instruments.

What about your amps and effects?

I am using an A/B setup which consists of a 50watt 1976 Marshall JMP into a Peter Mather ported 2×12 with Celestion Alnico Golds and a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb 2×10 with Custom shop Celestions.  I bought both amps from Andy Brauer and they sound incredible.  I use the Marshall for heavy numbers and solos and the Fender for the half driven and cleaner tones.  Effects-wise, I have a ton of stuff for the studio but my live board consists of a Fulltone MDV2, stock Dunlop Crybaby, Ibanez reissue TS808 modded by Keeley that pushes the Marshall, a Fulltone Mosfet Fulldrive or G2D Creamtone to push the Fender, an early Prescription Electronics Experience Pedal (Love the Octavia), Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus and a Line6 Echo Park.

What was your first guitar? How old were you when you started playing? Whose music did you start out playing?

I was 14 when I started playing and my first instrument was a prop acoustic guitar from a western ware store down the street from the old house in Boerne, Texas. My Mom and family friend Laurie Ayers picked it up and gave it to me when I got home from school one day. I was VERY excited but a little bummed it wasn’t an electric Laurie was a trained musician and she taught me a bunch of Simon and Garfunkel, Jim Croce, and Bob Dylan tunes. That guitar was so hard to play that I almost gave up. But I finally scraped up enough money cutting lawns to get a $90 Encore Electric. Then I started learning songs by artists like the The Police, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC, Journey, and The Beatles. That really got the ball rolling.

What’s playing in your iPod/MP3 player-of-choice right now?

My iPod can play for 20 days or something crazy without playing the same tune. I like it all from Mozart to Outkast. Lately, I have been spinning a lot of Black Crowes. They are one of my favorite bands past or present. Their new double disc “Before the Frost .. Until the Freeze” is a huge musical statement. All of their records get heavy rotation. The Allman Brothers “Anthology”, Zac Brown Band “The Foundation”, Laurence Juber “LJ Plays the Beatles”, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris “All the Roadrunning”, Alexi Murdoch “Time without Consequence”, and Van Halen “Diver Down” are some other current favorites that come to mind.

Which guitarist would you like to play with that you haven’t played with yet?

I would love to play with Mark Knopfler. He is one of my all time favorite players and artists.

Any upcoming tour dates you want to share?

Not yet. Jill and I are taking some time off to get married and decompress! When we get back I will put together a band and start playing the tunes from my upcoming record “One True Thing”. It’s a very exciting time!

Albums:

• Real Life
• Suicide King

Here’s Brian Kahanek playing “Gemini”