1Starting out with a toy guitar his dad made him out of a piece of wood, Clemenzi quickly moved on to the real thing as he tried to imitate the pop tunes of the made-for-TV band.
But Clemenzi, who grew up in Byfield, said what tipped the scales was hearing the song "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson when he was 12. That song brought music from an interest to a passion, solidifying his dream to pursue a career as a guitarist. He began practicing every day with the hopes of making it big.
Now that chance may have arrived.
Tomorrow, the now-31-year-old Clemenzi competes in Guitar Player Magazine's fifth annual Guitar Superstar Competition at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, Calif.
"I'm really excited about it," he said of the competition. "I have wanted to be in Guitar Player (Magazine) since I was 12."
An alumni of Triton Regional High School in Byfield who graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2001, Clemenzi has his music students to thank for his shot at his dream. Of the competition's 10 unknown, unsigned artists, Clemenzi was the only one chosen by popular vote. The other nine guitarists were picked by a panel of judges.
"One kid said he voted for me over 200 times, and while I was up teaching at (the University of New Hampshire), there were kids passing around laptops in their dorms voting for me," said Clemenzi, who divides his time between teaching and performing, both solo and with his acoustic duo Kangaralien. "It was just cool having the kids do it."
For tomorrow's competition, Clemenzi will perform an original piece before a packed house and a star panel of judges. The contestants, who will be backed by a house band, will be judged based on technique, tone, composition, charisma and creativity. The winner will be featured in Guitar Player Magazine and get an album contract with Guitar Player Records.
Clemenzi said he hasn't spent too much time thinking about what he will do if he wins. He said one option would be to distribute his 2008 solo album, "Basement Tapes," through Guitar Player Records.
When Clemenzi isn't working on his own music, he's mentoring students, teaching everything from AC/DC to Taylor Swift to more than 70 bass and guitar students a week at his home studio in Haverhill. He is also the director of the rock program at Pingree School in Hamilton and spends his summers teaching at UNH.
"It's terrifying the amount of work he puts into it," Steve Belleville, the other half of Kangaralien, said about Clemenzi's teaching.
Belleville added, "Eric's one of the best musicians I've ever met, and he's one of the worst businessmen I've ever met," explaining Clemenzi operates under a music first, business later attitude when it comes to teaching.
Clemenzi is also involved in bringing other musicians to the area, including hosting performances at Newbury Public Library.
"Most of the artists I bring in are not the run-of-the-mill guitar players," he said. "It's a neat way to bring in a new face and get people interested."
Clemenzi said his musical style has evolved over the years to what he now describes as progressive rock. But he admits that it goes beyond just that.
"It's all about mixing it up and getting that full spectrum of sound," he said.
As Belleville sees it, "You can really hear the 'Eric.' It's not just a bunch of scales and notes."
LISTEN IN
You can hear some of Eric Clemenzi's music at www.ericclemenzi.com, or you can check out Clemenzi's video entry for the Guitar Superstar Competition at www.guitarplayer.com/article/118613. A video of the competition will be released on Guitar Player Magazine's website shortly after tomorrow's competition.
Why guitar?
"I love the fact that everyone who picks up the guitar can find his or her own way of expressing ideas and emotions in a completely different way. It also gives you something to shoot for. There is so much out there to play, you can never be done practicing."
— Eric Clemenzi
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