The recording studio is a safe, sometimes chaotic, but tranquil place for a musician – a home away from home. But when it comes to traveling and tours, many artists are filled with trepidation and anxiety – especially when it is out of the country – a necessary evil filled with strange and unfamiliar things.
Not so for Latin music guitarist Russ Hewitt who say that he loves to travel. And one of his favourite parts of taking in the various parts of this big blue marble called Earth is the music. Not just the chance to share his own, but also discovering new sounds from local musicians…and “jamming with strangers!”
Performing around 200 shows a year in and around his Texas home, the Florida native is looking forward to sharing his music with many strangers in the near future in a tour – both from the stage and in a jam session or two.
Playing the guitar since he was eleven, Hewitt has played most everything form heavy metal and hard rock to Classical music. He holds a Performance degree in Classical guitar; but it is in the Latin music genre where he has found his niche.
A man who likes mixing things up, there are plenty of musical styles and rhythms in Latin music to share.
Hewitt recently released his fourth album – “Chasing Horizons” – and like the previous three releases, he has chosen a number of styles with varying time and key signatures to keep the fans engaged. Hewitt said that he tries to create a visual for the listeners – a mental landscape with each song. He strives to keep each song interesting…both for himself and the listener. If a musician loses interest in a song, it will not be long before the listener will lose interest as well.
One thing is for sure, you can’t sit still while listening to any of Russ Hewitt’s songs.
When recording, Hewitt uses the same band of musicians because he says that they know what he is trying to do. But that doesn’t stop him from bringing in guest artists for an album. Guest artists on “Chasing Horizons” include Nuno Bettencourt, Marty Friedman of Megadeath, Strunz and Farah, and the Bucharest All Star Orchestra. IN the past, guest artists have included Larry Carlton, Alfredo Caceres, and Ardeshir Farah.
Hewitt notes that music should be enjoyable on some level. And this father of two female Huskies has certainly found the secret to creating some very enjoyable music indeed.
photo credit: courtesy of Russ Hewitt