REKNOWNED GUITARIST INSPIRES AIR FORCE BAND

Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA – Aug 15, 2017 “Seventeen years of famine, followed by eight years of feast.” That’s how Joe Bonamassa, an internationally-known blues-rock guitarist who recently paid a visit to Langley Air Force Base, summed up his journey to success in the music and entertainment industry.

While visiting Langley, Bonamassa, along with management team members Roy Weisman and Clay Allen, was given a special tour of the F-22 Raptor by the 192d Fighter Wing, and was then hosted by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band’s popular music group, Full Spectrum, at Crawford Hall, the band’s main rehearsal facility.

First up for Bonamassa and his team was a distinguished visitor visit to “The Thunderdome,” a hangar affectionately named by the 192d Fighter Wing, an Air National Guard wing that flies the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, the F-22A. While there, he commented, “I always wanted to be a fighter pilot growing up, but since my vision needed correction, I wasn’t able to fulfill that dream, and turned to music instead.”

After travelling a short distance to Crawford Hall, Joe was greeted by members of the band, and had the chance to interact with several important military guests, including General Mike Holmes, the Commander of Air Combat Command and Colonel Sean Tyler, the Commander of the 633 Air Base Wing. Both senior leaders were grateful to meet Bonamassa and speak with him about his rise to success, and for the chance to hear him perform with Air Force musicians.

Full Spectrum later performed “This Train” for Mr. Bonamassa, and extended an invitation to him, which was graciously accepted, to join in with the band on his popular tune, “Asking Around for You.”

Following the music, attendees were given the unique opportunity to ask Bonamassa questions about his career. Questions ranged from “what would be recommendations on who to listen to, to learn the blues?” to “how do you handle the ‘low points’?” General Holmes asked Bonamassa to elaborate on the use of social media, a topic important to the military’s communication and outreach efforts.

The entire visit was captured on video, scheduled for a mid-September release by the band as part of their “Sonic Masters” documentary video series, which highlight both the exceptional talent and musical wisdom presented by the band’s guest artists.

For Full Spectrum and those that met Joe and his team, there was no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. One of the guitarists for Full Spectrum, Technical Sergeant Jason Cale, commented: “I have been following Joe for many years, even as he played in the local area of Hampton Roads many years ago. To finally get the opportunity to meet him was really awesome, but to play with him is simply beyond words – a real dream come true.” Cale’s sentiments were echoed by the band’s other guitarist, Airman First Class Ryu Yamakawa, the band’s newest member and a recent naturalized U.S. Citizen: “Joe has been such an inspiration to me – while in my first year of school [at Berklee College of Music], I viewed and heard Joe’s DVD of playing with Eric Clapton in the UK. From that point, I wanted to be as talented as that – so, to have the chance to play with him was really amazing. And, I am so grateful that my Air Force career has provided this for me.”

The enthusiastic audience members that gathered in Crawford Hall to hear Joe perform and speak to the band were also impressed. Senior Master Sergeant Eldon Sully, a retired Air Force musician, was particularly impressed with how Joe responded to his question regarding musical influencers. “It’s so important to know how someone can grow and develop. His [Joe’s] answer was amazing - and it was so fun to hear him speak to us about that part of his journey.”

According to Ray Landon, the band’s musical resources specialist, “Our intent with ‘Sonic Masters’ is to feature exceptional and well-known giants in today’s music industry, and document not just their outstanding musical skills, but also highlight some of their thoughts on everything from performance practice, to music production, to dealing with adversity.” Previous artists that have been captured with the ‘Sonic Masters’ series have included Harry Connick, Jr., jazz great Jimmy Bruno and Jake Cinninger, of the band “Umphrey’s McGee.” The produced videos are placed on the band’s social media sites, and serve as a mechanism to tell the Air Force Story to a larger digital audience. “In this case, we are showing how our Airman are displaying excellence – through some jaw-dropping music talent, but also by displaying the innovation we see every day throughout all of our Air Force. And, we have a chance to show how we are building relationships with important influencers within the broader music industry,” Landon said.

For members of the Heritage of America Band, the sounds of Joe Bonamassa’s inspiring words and phenomenal guitar playing will linger in their rehearsal hall for many weeks.