(PR) Cetan Clawson announces the launch of his spanking new website! It features a killer mini-documentary of his recording sessions in Austin, Texas, which were produced the great blues drummer, Chris Layton, best known for his work in Double Trouble with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Storyville and the Arc Angels. Clawson remembers, "When you're recording with someone who has played with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and so many others, it's such a great feeling, and all around a phenomenal experience. It was a real honor working with Chris Layton and Scott Nelson." Visit www.cetanclawson.com to see a mini-documentary with footage of the sessions, an interview with Cetan and live performances!
Cetan's debut album, White Heat is in stores now on 8th Impression/Universal, but since he recorded it at the wise old age of 17, he is eager to provide fans with new songs. To that end, the tunes from his session with Layton and Kenny Wayne Shepherd bassist Scott Nelson will be released as a 45 download!
"Everyday Blues" and "I Wanna Try" were recorded on June 25th and 26th, and will be available through iTunes, Rhapsody, Wal-mart and Best Buy's online stores on August 25th. In other news, Cetan is playing a show in Nashville on August 18th and recently entered Guitar Center's King of the Blues contest which has the finals planned to go down live in Hollywood in November.
Clawson has rock star in his DNA and it shines through in his playing and his individual style. He is a perfect storm of mind-boggling musical technique, jaw dropping stage presence and a sartorial flair that rivals that of Prince in his prime. Cetan classifies his style in a way similar to the video game that has kidnapped pop culture's often-fickle attention and places himself within a similar –but not the same- context. "Guitar Hero has combined an older mix of songs with a new way of presenting them," he theorizes. "They are taking classic rock and putting it in a format that newer kids can understand. That what blues guys do: take old things and make them fresh. They make it new, not better, but in an original way."
And what better time for the return of the guitar god? As kids everywhere rediscover actual playing in both the games and on YouTube, and punk stagnates in a morass of mascara and morality, Cetan doesn't just commit heresy by playing leads; he plays them behind his head, behind his back, left-handed, right-handed, one handed and even with his teeth, boasting a style that can't be matched by guitarist nor gamer. "I have one small chip from a slight mishap before I practiced it a lot," he says with a laugh. "It takes a great deal of skill." Clawson himself admits that while the game exposes "the kids" to the artistry of the guitar, he thinks that hours spent playing the game would be better as hours spent playing the actual instrument. See Cetan playing "Star Spangled Banner" with his teeth in honor of armed forces everywhere here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Akk7SnTI8A
It's been years since John Mayer emerged as the new guitar ace whose job it was to re-introduce the blues to a younger audience. Cetan Clawson is now poised as heir to that lineage, pushing into new territory with a skill and acumen. With the national release of his debut and the guidance and mentorship of blues stars like Layton, Clawson is well on his way.
