FrankZappa

At age 12, he started taking guitar lessons from Joe Satriani. At 18, he began his professional musical career transcribing for, and then playing with, the legendary Frank Zappa. The one and only Steve Vai. More than three decades, 15-million in album sales, and three Grammy Awards later, Vai has proven himself, in his own right, as one of the music world's true originals...

The Binary Code make an intricate brand of death metal. Drummer Umar Fahim and guitarist Jesse Zuretti have a lot of skill. Watching the two live, it's easy to get sucked in. Rows of people either headbang or study the musician's movements with their jaws dropped...

I usually go to four or five shows a week. It's how I discover many of my favorite bands and meet lifelong friends. Sometimes I see bands that are less than stimulating. Sometimes I see bands that are great. But, it's not so often that I see a band that makes me want to start a fan club for them...

It's a good thing metal bands don't ask to see musicians' iPods before auditions. If they did, Testament might never have invited guitar whiz Alex Skolnick to be a part of their legacy. Obviously, iPods weren't around when Skolnick tried out in the mid '80s, but you get the point...