Prashant Aswani

Riffmaster's album review of Prashant Aswani's New Album - Revelation: Fully Loaded.
I was on MySpace a few months ago and came across this artist / musician / guitarist Prashant Aswani. I think I was checking out Steve Vai's page or Santriani's page on Myspace and clicked on Prashant's picture on the message board. His music loaded and man was I floored! Why haven't I heard of this guy? I was kind of ticked at myself that I hadn't heard of him before now! "Prashant is the thinkin' man's guitarist!" His arrangements are definitely mind expanding. As for the guitar playing…. If you like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Mike Stern, Al Dimeola, then this is the music for you.


Prashant was bitten by the guitar bug when he was 11 years old, when he bought his first album, AC/DC's "Back In Black". Listening to Angus Young, Prashant knew then that he had to become a guitarist. At 13, he got his first guitar and spent the entire summer figuring out scales and playing AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne songs. He never took lessons, but played everything by ear, imitating the sounds he heard on the radio.

As y'all know me… Yes! I did it… I emailed Prashant and asked what could I do to get us both more exposure for Guitarz Forever.com. He said he had an album coming out in a couple of months and was wondering if I would give it a review and maybe an interview when it was ready. I said, I be honored too!


After playing in bands all through high school, Prashant headed for the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. It was during his time at Berklee that he first met guitarist Greg Howe, who became his mentor and would later go on to be his producer on both "Revelation" and "Duality", his first two CDs. Prashant was so determined to take lessons from Howe that he would take a bus 8 hours to Howe's studio in Pennsylvania for a 4 hour lesson, and then take the bus 8 hours back to school. It was well worth it. Prashant credits Howe for first showing him the importance and the necessity of structure and discipline. (If this freakin' guy ain't dedicated, then I'm a monkey's uncle).


A few months later, Prashant was true to his word and sent me his New Album Revelation: Fully Loaded.


So… I unwrapped the nicely looking cd package ( artwork was done nicely) and popped the disc into my cd player. Wow! From the first note to the last note I was totally in guitar heaven. The songs arrangements twist and turn, pull you from left to right, and then rollercoaster your mind (and yo ass) to highs and lows over again, and again, and again. His lead guitar work is dazzling, soulful, with great hooks and with melodic and memorial rhythmic riffs. Simply said, Prashant Aswani is one of the hottest independent guitarists out there today.


In the studio and as a live musician, Prashant's voice on the guitar is one of a kind. Fans and fellow musicians alike seek him out in hopes of duplicating his technique and tone, but its winning combination is inimitable. Audiences are mesmerized by his unique groove and the skill, passion and spontaneity with which he plays. A guitarist of Prashant's caliber is a rare breed.



I've been listening to this new album "Revelation: Fully Loaded" for about a week now. I think I'm on my third time listening to it and I'm finding it more and more enjoyable to listen to! I heard things that I had missed the first two times around.


Prashant covers a wide area on genres (aggressive acid music). Greg Howe produced tracks 1 thru 9, played some solos, and helped with the bass programming. George Black produced 10 thru 12 and mastered the whole album. Alex Evens plays bass and on drums is Joey Heredia. These guys are one tight outfit. The percussion and bass playing is bon appetite, and leaving you wanting more.


Music, it seems, was inside of him from Day One. His father, an avid follower and sometime singer of classical Indian music, would play music and take him to concerts while he was still in his mother's womb. So it was only natural when Prashant picked up the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument, when he was 8 years old. "I loved it," he recalls of those days. "What kid doesn't love banging on drums? But I realized that I didn't understand music until I started studying it." Playing the tabla gave him an understanding of music and a solid sense of time and rhythm.


And, rhythm is what this guy has got…. Lots of it! One of his most soulful songs is "Hiding Under The Covers." Wow! The guitarz in this were really done well. Al Dimeola comes to mind on this one. The first song "Seven" come out of the gate strong. Cool percussive crunchy rhythmic playing gets you into a hypnotic groove right away. Then, in mid-stream Prashant sets you up for a light feel progression with a really cool lead motif. The bass playing on this is outstanding. Very funky for sure. Like I said… Prashant really likes mixing things up within each song. The solo on this tune is - Guitarz Forever.com - by Scott Thomas

Prashant’s Bio


Prashant Aswani – Guitar Player Extraordinaire

In the studio and as a live musician, Prashant's voice on the guitar is one of a kind. His awesome guitar playing and song writing bring to mind the musical approaches of some of the best instrumental guitarist out there. Audiences are mesmerized by his unique groove, skill, passion, and spontaneity with which he plays. Furthermore, fellow musicians alike seek him out in hopes of duplicating his flawless technique and awe-inspiring tone.

Two years prior to getting his own guitar Prashant heard AC/DC and knew he had to figure out what it was that made that music make him want to jump up and beat on something. He realized it was the sounds of Angus Young’s guitar that sent ripples of goose-bumps up his spine and into his mind… the seed had been planted…

Prashant got the album “Back in Black” for his 11th birthday. Prashant remarks, “Since I didn’t know how to play the guitar, I would jam to “Back in Black” and would play tabla to those grooves.” Prashant began taking tabla lessons at the age of 8 years old, which helped him develop a strong sense of rhythm. A Tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the Indian subcontinent and in Hindustani classical music. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word which means "drum".

Prashant’s tabla teacher played to those hard rock albums too and showed Prashant some really cool rhythmic stuff. Prashant realized what he was learning was pretty hip. Again, still not really aware or understanding what he was learning would one day help him out later on in his musical journey…. Prashant basically only had two albums at the time. AC/DC’s – “Back in Black” and Ozzy’s - “Blizzard of Oz...” On the others side of the pop spectrum, Prashant remembers playing his tabla listening to Flock of Seagulls and Men at Work. So after jammin’ to those tracks for two years he really got the intricacy of rhythms, and working out his own really intense syncopated beats. It wasn’t until a couple of years later when he picked up the guitar that he all ready understood the simplicity if it’s rhythm.

Finally, Prashant Aswani got his first guitar for his 13th birthday. Prashant elaborates the story like this… “My family and I would take summer trips to India and spend time with my grandparents on my mom’s side.” Prashant usually would come back early to hang out with his dad. Later in the summer when they went to pick up his mother and sister, his sister was carrying a guitar. Prashant says he’ll never forget it…. “That was the greatest day!”

On the way home from the San Francisco Airport in the back seat of the car he started tweaking on it… the seed has now been watered.

When Prashant finally got his guitar, he would tweak out the notes and the main riffs rhythmically by ear, one string at a time. Without realizing it, Prashant was learning the intervallic qualities of each note. Prashant says this is what helped him find key signatures easily when jammin’ with friends. Prashant explains; “I would sit there for hours finding key signatures per each string.” A solid year of this and learning barre chords on the guitar, Prashant starting writing songs right away. He started playing diatonic 5th chords all over the guitar neck. Prashant says, “I remember playing several hours a day at that point.”

Starting in the eighth grade Prashant got into jamming with friends who where a couple of years older than himself. It was during this time while jamming with a drummer and a bass player, Prashant could tell things were beginning to change for him musically. “Playing with those guys in the early days turned my head.” Prashant explains… “I was so totally into Indian music and whatever was on the radio and next thing, I’m learning songs by Rush which the other guys were totally into.” Initially, Prashant wasn’t really into Rush’s music. It wasn’t until later he would appreciate the brilliance in their arrangements and compositions. With the progression of longer and more frequent jam sessions came the beginnings of writing his own songs. Getting into the pocket and playing hot rhythm guitar is where Prashant really started to shine in those early days.

Led Zepplin w/ Jimmy Page Chord Voicings, Ozzy with Randy Rhodes and his melodic lead playing… these were the artist that were getting heavy air play back in the day and Prashant was also catching the fever. Then came along Yngwie Malmsteen… “What the hell is that?” Prashant recalls. By this time, Prashant was 15 years of age and was just mezmerized by all the great guitar players he was being turned on to by his friends. He also remembers “not getting it!” Prashant explains; “I just remember this incredible fire coming out of my speakers.” Prashant also adds; “Yngwie was so technically beyond anybody else at that poi - www.guitarz-for-ever.com

Prasahnt Aswani's short Bio (rough draft)

Prashant Aswani Quote: “Music is my world; it's the way in which I function.”

In the studio and as a live musician, Prashant's voice on the guitar is one of a kind. His awesome guitar playing and song writing bring to mind the musical approaches of some of the best instrumental guitarist in the business. Audiences are mesmerized by his unique grooves, skill, passion, and spontaneity with which he plays. Furthermore, fellow musicians alike seek him out in hopes of duplicating his flawless technique and awe-inspiring tone.

Formal Training: Lexington High School Jazz Combo Band

College: Berklee College of Music Graduate

Greg Howe Produced both of Prashant's first two CDs "Duality" and "Revelation"

In addition, Prashant has lent his chops, over the last few years, to a staggering nine albums worldwide, among them: Greg Howe's latest two CD's, "Ascend" and "Hyperacuity"; Diaz's project, "Devotion", which also features jazz legend Herbie Hancock; a 2001 Jeff Beck tribute CD featuring other well-known guitarists; and an Indian fusion project with world-renowned bansuri (bamboo flute) player Ronu Majumdar.

With his reputation as a highly skilled, versatile guitarist, Prashant has spent much of his time lately focused on broadening his already impressive repertoire. Check out his new cd “Revelation Fully Loaded.” He has successfully played almost every genre of music imaginable, from mainstream rock, pop and soul to the more eclectic fare of the international music scene. Prashant has recently toured with a variety of recording artists - he completed a sold out tour of Japan with R&B songstress Christina Milian and performed at the Billboard Music Awards with pop idol Justin Timberlake and played on the albums of respected veteran musicians such as Howe and keyboardist Darrell Diaz. Lastly, "Duality" and "Revelation" are highest selling fusion albums on www.guitar9.com.

Prashant endorses: ESP Guitars, Peavey Amps, Dean Markley Guitar String

Guitar Clinics: Gave a recent Guitar Clinic for George Lynch's Dojo Guitar Training in L.A.

20th Century Guitar Magazine (comments on Prashant's latest CD) - "A bold statement from a rising guitar fusion ace."

Artist of the Month for June at Guitarz Forever.com

Prashant's latest CD Review - "This album has twelve songs on it, and every song has something to offer. That’s hard to keep up when you are dealing with instrumental albums. You can’t be repetitious! Ya got to keep shaking things up! This is a great album for you fitness nuts out there. Listening to Prashsant’s music will help give you that little push across the finish line. Kick-ass for video gamers too! Turn down that awful, dreadful background music and put on this album. Prashant’s music guarantees to take you to that next impossible level. On scale from 1 to 10 for an all instrumental album… I give Prashant Aswani’s new album - Revelation: Fully Loaded a Rezounding “10”." - Scott Thomas Editor for Guitarz Forever.com


Prasahnt Aswani has been featured in many more Guitar Publications, Online Guitar-sites, Podcasts, and Guitar Blogs and Forum Boards.
- www.guitarz-for-ever.com

Prashant Aswani is a rock/fusion/jazz/Indian-influenced instrumental guitarist, and more recently, a teacher at GIT in Hollywood. He has appeared on albums by artists such as Alessandro Benvenuti, William Stravato, and Greg Howe. His second solo CD, entitled “Duality”, was released in 2000, and six years later it still remains on Guitar 9 Records top ten monthly bestseller lists. In addition to his solo career, Prashant has toured with a variety of recording artists - he completed a sold out tour of Japan with R&B songstress Christina Milian, and performed at the Billboard Music Awards with pop idol Justin Timberlake. He's also traveled the world conducting guitar clinics on behalf of his endorsers, namely ESP Guitars. Now he's here at instrumentalcase.com to answer some of my questions…




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An Interview with Prashant Aswani


IC: You’re re-releasing your 1998 debut solo album this month (Jan. ’07), now entitled, “Revelation: Fully Loaded”. What additions did you make to this new edition?

Prashant: There are three new tracks I produced. They feature legendary drummer Joey Heredia and bassist Alex Evens.

IC: What was it like when you recorded the album originally, and how has your music matured since?

Prashant: I originally recorded it in 1998, and it was my first professional experience and I definitely learned a lot about the recording process. So I wasn't as free with some decisions like using live drums. Rhythm is the most important thing, and being able to work with Joey Heredia really made my songs come alive. I am constantly learning and maturing with my music and I hope this comes through in the new tracks.

IC: Who or what inspired you to make instrumental guitar music, and what are your favorite guitar albums?

Prashant: John McLaughlin was the initial inspiration for me creating guitar oriented music. My Father had a Shakti audio tape in a box and I found it and couldn't stop listening to it. I used to play tabla so I felt right at home with that album. Of course one of my biggest musical influences is Zakir Hussein. Any Shakti album would be at the top of my instrumental list. Adding to that I would say Jason Becker’s "Perpetual Burn", any Pat Metheny album, Vinnie Moore’s " Time Odessy", and Greg Howe’s "Uncertain Terms". That is just a few. There are too many to mention.

IC: How did you first meet Greg Howe, and what led to Greg producing your first two albums (and you eventually guesting on two of his solo albums)?

Prashant: I was fortunate enough to meet with Mike Varney who introduced me to Greg. I had taken a couple lessons with Greg while I was attending Berklee College of Music, and during the third lesson I simply asked Greg if he would produce an album for me, and he said yes. That is when I started my recording career.

IC: You began teaching at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood late last year. How has the experience been, and how did it come about?

Prashant: Musicians Institute is great! I really enjoy teaching there, and the students enthusiasm makes it all worth it. The offer came about in an interesting way. I was originally supposed to do a clinic there and the director, Beth Marlis, threw out the idea of me teaching. At that time I was open in my schedule and happily accepted.

IC: Do you have any words of advice for younger players such as myself, hoping to attend there someday?

Prashant: It isn't how many years you have been playing, it’s how many hours. Schooling is a great avenue for one to learn about music. I definitely encourage having some type of education.

IC: Do you have any instructional or performance videos planned for the near future?

Prashant: Yes, I have several concepts for a series of instructional videos. I don't have a specific release date in mind for these videos but I can assure you that they will come to fruition sooner than later.

IC: Prior to 2000 you lived in Italy for a couple of years. How was your brand of instrumental guitar music received over there, and how does that compare with the audience in the states?

Prashant: The Italian fans have been supportive from the very beginning. I am very thankful for the warmth I received when I lived there. The US hasn't been much different. I think fans of instrumental guitar music are very loyal. Fan support is a big reason for my commitment to this type of music. I love playing the guitar and will always put out instrumental albums.



IC: You have some endorsers, including ESP Guitars. Please tell us a little bit about your guitars, gear, and the tone you strive for.

Prashant: I want to start off by saying ESP makes the best instruments I have ever played. The attention to detail and customization is unlike any other. My custom guitars are based on an ESP M-Series model. I use an Original Floyd Rose Tremelo, 24 fret Maple Fretboard, 2 Humbuckers, all with the - Putting the "mental" in instrumental guitar!

Prashant Aswani Talks about the ESP Xtone Guitar and More
by Rich Murray.


Prashant Aswani. Photo by Rob Polgar.

Prashant Aswani is part of a new breed of heavy fusion guitarists. A Berklee College of Music grad and former GIT instructor, his often fiery instrumentals have elements that appeal to both shred and fusion fans. Aswani's first two albums, Revelation (1998) and Duality (2000), were both produced by Greg Howe and released through Aswani's own Exotic Rhythms Publishing. Last year, Aswani re-released the Revelation album (with new artwork and bonus tracks) as Revelation: Fully Loaded (Exotic Rhythms). Aswani has recently completed demos for a new album called Time that he will produce himself.
Aswani has used ESP guitars for over 10 years, and was at the 2008 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California, promoting their new Xtone Paramount series. The Xtone's are jazzy-looking semi-hollow body guitars that you wouldn't normally associate with a guitarist in Aswani's genre. Some of the Xtone's even feature the classic Bigsby vibrato bar.

There's something oddly curious about seeing Aswani peel off a wicked hybrid-picking run on one of these guitars. But, maybe that's part of the point. Though he also plays his trusty ESP M1-based custom model that he's owned for years, when you see Aswani play an Xtone it helps solidify the image that this guy is more than just another shredder. I caught up with Prashant at this year's Winter NAMM show following one of his impressive demo performances at the ESP booth.

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Prashant Aswani performs at the ESP Guitars booth during the 2008 Winter NAMM Show. Photo by Jesse Stern.

One thing I've always been curious about when I see these NAMM booth performances; are you more nervous doing a booth demo than you would be at a regular gig? Do you get the feeling you're in a fishbowl and everyone is staring at you?
Prashant Aswani: No, I don't really get nervous. I mean, guitar is what I do. I'm at a point now with my playing where I'm comfortable in any situation. I'm playing my own songs so, I wrote the songs, I've lived with the songs for quite some time, so there's really no reason to be nervous. I don't mind whoever is watching. I'm there to have fun and give them my all, in whatever that is at the time.

So, you're here at the ESP booth this year promoting their new Xtone series. It's a pretty unique looking guitar - I like how some of them even have the old throwback Bigsby vibratos. What is it about the Xtone that appeals to you?

PA: Well, ESP has had a ton of models. I've been with them for 10 years. When they came out with this guitar, I got the model, and I was so impressed with the design. It's so easy to have a double-cutaway guitar with great action and ease of play. But this guitar was so easy to play, very precise, percussive like I like for the left hand. The string spacing was nice on it so it was easy to do my hybrid-picking. And I'll tell you man, I had to make a point to tell them about it and they said "Why don't you do some clinics?"

So, it started with some Sam Ash clinics that I did over the last couple of months, and they asked me to perform here at the NAMM show. And so that's how it started - we're going to be doing a lot of clinics with these Xtones. For me, I have my main (M1-based) models that I use, as you saw, with the Floyd Rose. Those are irreplaceable since I use the tremolo in my playing. But these other guitars are an invaluable tool, these Xtones. I write with them, I can take them anywhere, they're light. The tones are amazing. They're great guitars man, all around. And they're a reasonable price.

That was another reason - you know a lot of my fans, they want my model, and I think they're like 5 grand for the custom guitars that I have. And there's no reason to spend that kind of cash. So I lead them down the direction of getting an M series or an Xtone. Basically they can get the same tone that I get.

You have a new album in the works called "Time" (currently in pre-production). Will you be using any of the Xtones on the new album?


Prashant Aswani. Photo by Rob Polgar.

PA: Yes I am actually. I'm basically using the Xtone for all the clean sounds. The "non-stratty" cleans, you know? ESP makes a Vintage Plus series; it's a strat-style guitar with single coils - I used that for some dirty cleans and some other rhythms. But for the most part, all of my clean tones will be done with the Xtone.
I understand you are producing the album yourself. Is that a challenge?

PA: Yeah, it always is. I've been producing a lot of other musicians demos lately, and by comparison producing myself is always a lot harder because I'm more critical. I end up taking a lot of extra time that I don't need to, manipulating and changing parts in songs, when I end up going back to the original version later down the road because I get too caught up. So it has been a challenge, but it's getting easier the more - Rich Murray