Most of you may not be familiar with Cetan Clawson, but to paraphrase Bryn Bennett of Bang Camaro, he is described as “basically the next Hendrix.  Simply unbelievable.”  A true expert of the guitar, Cetan’s extensive and intensive musical background has garnered serious attention from some of the most respected blues artists alive.  In fact, he’s recently collaborated with veterans Chris Layton (drummer – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) and Scott Nelson (bassist – Kenny Wayne Shepherd).  Oh, and by the way… he’s only 22 years old.

I was able to ask Cetan a handful of questions about himself and his music, Rock Band, and what the future holds for him…

RBA: Tell us a little bit about your musical background.

CC: At age three I began learning guitar. Now at twenty two, I have closely studied the art and execution of the blues, among various other areas of study, such as songwriting and performing live. We began to gain local and regional recognition before I was out of high school, playing some of the largest events in the area as we broke ground in the Detroit music scene, and have been touring and recording ever since. Among the highlights have been getting to meet my heroes, such as Mitch Mitchell (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Jonny Lang. Some of them I’ve even recorded with, such as Chris Layton, who was the drummer for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and Scott Nelson, who plays bass with Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

RBA: What are some of your musical influences?

CC: Musically, I love anything that is good, and anything that speaks the voice of truth. Obviously Bob Dylan and the Beatles are revered as artists. They wrote excellent songs, and spoke to people through them. There is now literally so much music that I’m not sure if one could cover it in an entire lifetime. But for me, it’s everything from Dylan to Conor Oberst, from The Creation to Mars Volta. The blues is, of course, central to what we do, and that’s a legacy that goes way back in music history. It all influences us.

RBA: Is there any aspect of your musical history that you would change?

CC: Absolutely not. If I was given the chance to go back and re-live my life, I would do it all the exact same way, again.

RBA: Where do you envision yourself in 10 years?

CC: Hopefully right where I am. I live, eat, and breath music every day. Songwriting is studied, material is written. Concerts are performed, art is created. You must understand, this is perhaps the best job on earth. I think too many people get lost with their destination and forget the journey. What does success really mean to you? Is it having a bigger roof or better car than everyone? It still has four wheels and drives, no matter how many zeroes occupy its price’s bottom line.

True success as an artist involves reaching out to people, enriching their lives, entertaining, creating art in motion. To me, the whole experience of it is its own reward, and worth more to me than the entire sum of wealth and riches in the world. If you’re truly passionate about what you do, then its the game, not the prize, that drives you.

RBA:  Do you feel that Rock Band has an impact on a player’s interest in playing a real instrument at some point?

CC: It certainly can be a huge driver to make someone want to pick up the real thing. Kids play the game and are exposed to this great music, some of it new, some old. Its incredible how alot of older music is still amazing, still makes fans out of people. They say rock and roll will never die, and as long as somebody, somewhere, is still turning up that volume, cranking Zeppelin and AC/DC, still picking up that guitar and feeling the primal urge to rebel and express truth, it never will.

RBA: Thanks, Cetan!

For more info about Cetan Clawson, check out his website at CetanClawson.com or on Myspace and YouTube.  Also, check out some amazing write-ups on him from Fender and Blurt-Online.

Below is a short bio on his latest musical collaboration.

The Rock Band Network will be featuring Cetan Clawson and the Soul Side’s track “White Heat.”  Check out a sample of the track, authored by Rock Gamer Studios, below.

Special thanks to Miguel at Rock Gamer Studios for setting up the interview!

Comments are closed.