He was just nominated for best guitarist on Iron City Rocks.com of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and he didn’t even know he was candidate. Xander Demos be opening for Uli Jon Roth(Scorpions, G3) and Leslie West (Mountain,) at the Altar Bar in Pittsburgh on Feb 2. He gigs with his band “Into the Arena”, he has a full length album “Guitarcadia” in the works as well as his own signature McNaught guitar. On top of that, he does guitar reviews for NStuffMusic.com and he’s planning and instructional DVD sometime down the road.

It would seem that Xander is a pure guitarist, but he also works as a contract software engineer. It pays the bills while pursuing his passion with fervor. His goal is to carve his niche as an instrumental guitarist alongside his influences including Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Shawn Lane. It’s hard to pin him in a corner as to the “type” of guitarist he is, but it surely includes metal and rock. Check out some of his videos and you’ll witness speed and efficiency but also an awareness of communicating the song/hook, and that’s by Xander’s design.

I had a chance talk with Xander about a number of things including his background, endorsements, what beginners should learn, favorite guitarists, and future plans.

Check out this track his upcoming “Guitarcadia” album … “Right Angles”

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