Hey Guys,
I already messaged to Lyle to tell him how impressed I was with his new song and his playing in general. I also want to let you guys know that besides being an AMAZING young (Happy Birthday Lyle!) talent, Lyle is WAY beyond his years not only with a guitar in his hands but also he is a very mature, humble, and intelligent person (moreso than most adults I deal with frankly!)
The story goes like this: I was commenting on Lyle’s “Guitar Idol 2008 – Finals” video on YouTube, and I shared with him and others, my opinion that I thought the judges in Guitar Idol 2008 MAY have placed an inordinate amount of importance (in their judging) on “stage-presence/performance value.” I went on to say that although I respect Gustavo Guerra’s abilities and style (GG’s VERY GOOD, has the feel & chops, wrote a great instrumental track. BUT I don’t really feel he has a “unique-voice” on guitar!) I thought Gustavo benefitted from his infectious smile, outgoing “happy-go-lucky” demeanor, and stage-presence. I actually cited Tom Quayle as a player who I thought (and still do BTW!) has more to say on the instrument than Gustavo Guerra. I also went on to say that even tough I might prefer Tom Quayle’s style, it really isn’t fair to compare players ANYWAYS, because it’s the old “apples vs. oranges” debate! Music is art, and art cannot or should not be “quantifiably-judged” as if it were a “gymnastics meet” or something! However, the musicians involved in Guitar Idol probably knew all of these things anyways, so I guess they just view it all as a great opportunity to expose their talents, which is great! Again, these are just my opinions and I DID say that Gustavo is an excellent player and stylist. So guess what (then!) 15-yr-old-Lyle Watt replies back to me:
“Thanks a lot for the nice comments! I think stage presence or a good rockin’ track had a lot to do with it, which is why Gustavo won. In my opinion, Daniele Gottardo was the best guy there, he managed to have amazing technique and maintain the song, instead of a widdly exercise like so many people do. But the judges thought different, and that’s what counts!
Thanks,
Lyle “
So Lyle deflected attention away from himself even though he essentially agreed with my assertion! But then he points to another player (Daniele Gottardo, who BTW is COMPLETELY MIND-BLOWING, but that’s another story altogether! – LOL!) So how thoughtful, honest, HUMBLE and cool of a reply was that by Lyle! If any of you have seen Lyle’s videos on YouTube before, you need to check out his performance at Guitar Idol 2008 – Finals, because he kicked MAJOR-ASS! He is one of those rare musicians (IMO) who seems to play BETTER under pressure in front of a large crowd! I expect (and hope for) GREAT things for Lyle Watt in the future. He has the chops which are no doubt impressive, but what blows me away (and I told him so!) is that he has GROOVE and STYLE which seem IMPOSSIBLY developed for someone his age. I mean he GROOVES HARD, and he has a great touch. A lot of 15-16 yr.-olds can shred, but usually they need experience, ear-training, and general “seasoning” before they can really incorporate the “intangibles” into their overall style. Lyle ALREADY has that!
SO anyways, I thought that since Lyle is now part of OUR Infinite Guitar community, that this story was worth sharing with you all, so that you could know what a “stand-up GUY” where dealing with!
Welcome aboard Lyle!
~Bill Meehan~
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