Over the years I have found myself in a rut from time to time as most of you probably have. One of the best ways to break free from this is to expose yourself to new players. You can gain influence from new players or sometimes just get inspired to play again, either way it helps. I'm going to go ahead and drop some names you might want to check out, most of which are shredders, or instrumentalists, some you may have heard of, some you may not have, but if your interested in listening to well rounded players, you might want to check some of these guys out.

I'll start with Django Reinhardt, if you don't know the name, he is an old gypsy guitarist, he played Jazz in the 20s and 30s. He was one of the original shredders, which is almost unbelievable due to his accident. Those of you who don't know the man, he had an accident and a few of his fingers on his fretboard hand got mended together, he only played with 2 fingers, but you would never know from listening to him. Some of his best work was with the Quintet, but he has plenty to check out. ++ D j a n g o + S w i n g p a g e ++

Another name you might want to check out if your a fan of Vai and Satch type shredding is Dave Martone. This guy is on the scene, and has a record out that Satriani himself makes a guest guitar solo spot on, as well as an appearance by Billy Sheehan. You know if these 2 are willing to show up there has got to be something worth while when it comes to Dave's music.Dave Martone :: One of Canada’s Finest Guitarists :: Performer, Instructor, Recording Engineer, Teacher and Clinician

Richie Kotzen..... almost speechless. Those of you who know him probably know what I mean, those of you who don't I'm sure have heard of Poison, and Mr Big, both bands he played a replacement guitarist in, but as for hearing his finest, check out his newest effort. This man usually does it all, but he actually has a backing band this time. He is too good for words to describe, not only a phenomenal guitarist, but giften with vocal tubes that are next to none.
Richie Kotzen Official Site

Last but not least, Trey Spruance! For those not familiar with the name, he is the guitarist from the band Mr Bungle. Mr Bungle was a band that Mike Patton from Faith No More formed in the mid 80s. Their music style is so diverse, and so is Trey's playing. Everything from heavy metal to carnival music, pretty interesting, he is a very well rounded player. No offical website, but you can search them on the web for sites with information and music.

Hope you guys enjoy listening to some of these players, I will drop more interesting names sometime in the near future! Keep Rockin!