I consider Marty Pelto a close friend and think he is one of the best guitarists in town. He can shred like Van Halen and his original songs for Snow Black Sunday are great and of course I love his version of U2’s with or Without You, so when I heard about him winning the Sam Ash Contest I was impressed, the prize was opening for Steve Vai in Knoxville, saw a video and I have to say it is a show I wish I had been able to attend, I asked Marty for details, he told me the story.
It started a couple of months ago. I entered the Sam Ash Best In Shred contest sponsored by Sam Ash, Ibanez and Vai. I had to submit a 15 second video via Instagram. They got several hundred submissions. They narrowed it down based in store and location and ultimately I won Nashville (after doing a live in store performance). I could play to a Vai Naked Track or my own track. So I had written an instrumental song I jammed over. Ultimately that is what I also performed at the Vai show at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville. I have been recording instrumental guitar rock for over 20 years so this was my prime opportunity to shine. At the show I was treated great by the Vai crew and it was a pleasure having his tech Thomas look after me as well. I was able to see the in reworkings of the Vai show and all of his little secrets such as the Ultra Zone guitar, EVO, pedals, amps etc. He was very complimentary of my performance and said he loved the fact that the contest was able to uncover and expose a lot of great players across the country. Being a fellow (former) NY resident myself we spoke about NY, winters, my hometown Ithaca, farms, kids, touring and life in general. We did so sitting on the edge of the stage at the end of the concert while the road crew tore down the stage and gear. He told me they were about to embark on a small tour in Mexico and then hit the states again until about May. He commented he’s been on tour forever but still wants to keep going. The man was and is a true inspiration. In a day and age where so many musicians and artists get caught up in trying to market themselves and craft a hit single, Vai has a built in audience grounded in the fact that he is just a pure musician and creates art. He is a prodigy and a dying breed in the entertainment world. It was an honor to be allowed to play on his stage and be welcomed into the Vai universe and partake in an event I will never forget!!
Sounds like all went very well and I am very proud of Marty! Nashville has many great rock and metal musicians, Marty is a fine example, way to go dude!
NashvilleRock2 