Chris Barclay, from Aotearoa New Zealand, doesn’t just understand the guitar, but rather, he lives, breathes, sweats, and bleeds it.
Growing up listening to rock music, then learning scales and modes during his time at uni, ensured that Barclay became a master songwriter and guitar slinger, appreciating everything there was to know about it. The guitar has been there for him, during the hard times and the smooth, with Barclay working tenaciously to hone his craft, ensuring his place as one of AoNZ’s most respected guitar virtuosos.
“I draw my inspirations from my own life as a leukemia survivor and other life struggles, as well as my musical and guitar heros such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen”.
A recent trip to the US saw Barclay visit Las Vegas, where he was greeted by Sin City’s seductive charisma, immediately making him feel like an alien in a strange world filled with possibility. This led to his new single, ‘Las Vegas Alien’.
With hypnotic guitar and large build-ups pairing beautifully with Barclay’s voice, mirroring the mystery of Las Vegas and its surroundingsm ‘Las Vegas Alien’ resembles the motif of the Progressive Rock group Dream Theater, with the chorus’s perfect 5ths and suspended chords, and modulating shred lead guitar.
A self-proclaimed Americanophile, Chris says,
“I fell in love with Las Vegas and Nevada. I have been mesmerised by the region. The glitz, the dirt and the uniqueness of its own brand of Americana. So much so, as a rock guitarist, shredder and singer, I wrote and produced a song in my studio and made a music video about my time there”.
The music video for ‘Las Vegas Alien’ sees Barclay take viewers through a tour of the city, with its bright lights, magnificent fountains and large marquees. Soon after however, we see that there’s a whole lot more to this city, that can affect a person deeply – much more than the casinos and flashy performances, and the aliens and spacemen lurking in the desert. All the while, Barclay shares his incredible guitar playing talent, letting us into his creation.
You can watch the music video for ‘Las Vegas Alien’ below, and find out more about Chris Barclay and his music online on his official website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
