The upside, though, is access. There’s really no possible way any of us can buy, or even listen to, all of the great music out there in the world. The internet and MP3s have given us access to local music from all over the world. Just the other day I came across a german producer named Torky Tork, who was giving a way a free album of what sounded like Madlib bumping qwawali samples. Living here in uptown Phoenix, how else would I have heard that?

Plus there’s the mixtapes and remixes. Lil Wayne’s Da Drought 3 is ten times better than anything of his you can find in a store and the Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit are the Very Best mixtape could be one of the best albums of the year. Right now I’m listening to a superb Flying Lotus BBC mix full of stuff like Alice Coltrane and Manhattan Transfer.

Sure, none of this is probably as good as Young Liars, or Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, or any other of the discs I’ve picked up at Hoodlums over the years, and any album that sounds good on my computer sounds frickin amazing on vinyl, I know, but I wouldn’t trade our newer digital connections for anything. Sure, my attention span is shorter now than it used to be, so I have to force myself to slow down and listen to the great albums over and over again, which is a pretty amazing problem to have, don’t you think?

And a cheesy little amp
With a sign on the front said
“Fender Champ”
And a second-hand guitar
It was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar

So in sympathy with your just criticism of Guitar Hero, I offer up my Top 5 Unknown Guitar Heroes that have great bodies of recorded work but few readers will have ever heard of before…

Robben Ford – A super tasty, jazzy blues guitarist with incredible note selection. His music is very accessible for a blue fan. Either a Handful of Blues or Mystic Mile would be a good place to start.

Danny Gatton – The king of the unknowns. Redneck jazz meets Sun Records played with impossible chops. The Hot Rod Guitar: Anthology is the most sensible place to start even though it is a double set.

Mike Keneally – He cut his teeth with Zappa and took it from there. Scary ridiculous chops. His music is diverse and challenging so you need to work with it but there are unparalleled rewards for those who make the investment. Guitar Therapy Live, Dog, Dancing or Hat makes for a good introduction.

Sonny Landreth – A slide wizard that conjures up amazing music with his approach to the guitar. His Cajun-fried blues is very accessible. Grant Street, Levee Town or South of I-10 are good albums for getting acquainted.

John Scofield – Actually any jazz enthusiast would have heard of him but to the uninitiated masses he is pretty obscure. He is a terrific player with a wonderful imagination that managed to cut an album every year for about three decades without repeating himself. Cool albums to check out include A Go Go, Groove Elation, Works for Me and Blue Matter.