Tim Henson recently shared an optimistic view of the current state of guitar music, highlighting Machine Gun Kelly’s influence in helping make guitar-based music popular again.
The guitar scene has experienced some notable shifts in recent years, fueled in part by the rise of social media virtuosos and the elevation of technical playing. This shift has been so significant that even Dream Theater’s John Petrucci admitted he was impressed by how high the bar for guitarists has been set. Younger players like Henson and Matteo Mancuso have led the way in evolving virtuoso playing into something fresh and exciting.
In a recent interview, Henson gave credit to Machine Gun Kelly for playing a part in reviving interest in guitar music, especially through his shift into the pop-punk genre. He also humbly downplayed Polyphia’s role in the resurgence:
“I’d say guitar music got cool again! Maybe we had a little bit to do with it, maybe we didn’t. But around the time when Eminem had his thing with MGK, it made him switch genres. And then MGK went on to have a number-one record with a guitar on the cover, which is really cool. So, shout out to MGK for making guitar cool again!”
Henson continued:
“Since then, think about all the amazing players who’ve come out, like Marcin, RJ [Pasin]… there are so many incredible guitarists now. It’s definitely cool. [laughs]”
When asked about any standout guitarists catching his attention lately, Henson mentioned:
“There’s this guy, Spiro [Dussias]—I’m not sure how to say his last name, but I know his Instagram handle. That guy is insane. And there are definitely a few others I’m forgetting.”
He added:
“But as we start booking sessions this year, bringing in all this incredible talent to vibe out on new music, I’ll definitely be hitting up Spiro to see what kind of madness he can bring. There’s a lot of incredible talent coming up in the guitar world right now.”
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