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Providence Phoenix:
Hell-bound Granata: Shredding with Joe Granata
By Bob Gulla
Is the excitement of Guitar Hero III surging through your fingertips? Are you an aspiring rocker because someone bought you one of those video games with the plastic instruments and all of a sudden you're ripping into 'Highway Star?'
With all of the hullabaloo about the success of Guitar Hero III and Rock Band interactive video games - thanks in part to ex-Amazing Royal Crowns frontman Jason Kendall, who works for Harmonix, the founders of both franchises - it seemed appropriate to call attention to Rhody's very own guitar hero, Joe Granata.
A resident of East Greenwich, Granata's been playing guitar since he was 12. He first picked up the instrument after hearing guys Randy Rhoads and Kirk Hammett in the '80s and he hasn't looked back since. Once immersed in the world of loud rock, he added names like Page, Hendrix,
'Dimebag,' and Vai to his stylistic repertoire.
Today, he's a full-on shredder a la Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio.
Last May, Granata released his
debut set, 'A Long Road to Hell,' six songs of blistering
shred recorded live in the studio. These days, between recordings,
Granata has offered his services to an exciting guitar solo
contest sponsored by Cr3ation Limited, Inc. The contest
is held at odeoguitar.com and has quite a bit of credibility;
other players in on the gig include Grammy Award-winning
writer, producer, and performer Michael Sembello and guitar
goddess Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck). The
grand prize winner gets a recording deal and studio time
with producer Phil Nicolo (a Butcher Brother).
Today, with shredders going for a dime a dozen on YouTube, Joe has found a way to distinguish himself from what amounts to considerable worldwide competition. His work has earned him nominations on the preliminary Grammy ballots for Best Rock Performances, another feather in his
cap. You can keep track of Joe's progress through his website, www.joegranata.com, and his www.myspace.com/joegranata. He also has web representation on the Big Noise site - www.bignoisenow.com/joegranata.html.
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