ThePhanastasio

I started "learning" guitar when I was in ninth grade or so. What had inspired me to pick it up was actually the riff from "Crazy Train", which is strange. I do, however, remember hearing that riff and thinking, "Wow, I really want to do that!" Unfortunately, I gave up before I could even learn to play that riff.

Less than a year ago, I picked up an acoustic and decided to really teach myself to play. I admired so many guitarists, and felt that my tastes and level of focus matured enough to seriously learn how to play.

My influences are currently:
Richard Thompson: I never get tired of listening to the man's music, and love watching video of his live playing. I feel like honestly, his particular style of playing is the one I'd be most interested in pursuing.
John Fahey: Granted, fingerpicking and such is absolutely not my strong point, and I doubt I could ever play like Mr. Fahey, but I find watching / listening to him play is incredibly motivating. That someone could play a guitar like that blows my mind and inspires me to work harder.
Trey Anastasio: His influences are varied and still all well-represented in his body of work. Whether he's throwing down some blues or jazz licks or working on an intricate, composed classical piece, he's quite interesting. Also, trying to learn his songs has been really helpful in practicing barre chords.
Joni Mitchell: I know she's not necessarily a GREAT, but she's definitely inspired me to work with some seriously bizarre tunings. And also, from a songwriting aspect, she's certainly an inspiration.

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