author: Hawken Parker

This guy has a Gift, if you like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Blackfoot or Bad Company this guy is for you. His sound has Southern Blues which he made his own. One of the best Guitarists I've ever listened to and with the deep lyrics and beautiful Guitar they make all his albums a must have.

author: N. Mcgaughey

Brian Kahanek might be known in the guitar nerd circles as "the guy that has some cool songs on the guitar hero".. But that would be a disservice to all the facets that make his ability that much more awesome, outside the button pushing video game arena. 'One true thing' is Brian Kahanek's third release. This CD just goes to show that sticking to your guns, and honing your craft, instead of going for the easy money, is they way to really nurture an artists full potential. Kahanek's formidable guitar prowess is here in spades, but they definitely don't overshadow the meat and potatoes of 'one true thing': great songs. This album shows off a tasty variety of styles that are obviously close to his heart. Its got stand up and notice guitar riffs AND a tight interplay between the musicians that is the polar opposite of the 'quantize and autotune' that seems to have sucked the soul right out of music. These songs stick in your head long after the stereo is off. The bottom line is this: it's really nice to hear someone passionately enjoying themselves playing music, and offering you a ticket to ride along with... Isn't that what we all came to the rock 'n' roll party for in the first place?

author: Brian Scherzer

Brian Kahanek, A longtime TGP member, has released his newest CD, One True Thing. Kahanek (the musician) has a wide range of musical credits that include recording guitar and mixing for such artists as Tim Mcgraw, multi-platinum Latin group RBD and Virgin recording artist, Betzi. When you add in that Kahanek also has numerous credits as an ADR recordist and mixer, including Pixar's Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, and Peter Jackson's King Kong, what you are left with is an incredibly talented and diverse artist.

One True Thing is Kahanek's third CD release and is, by far, the most difficult to pin down in terms of genre. Just when you think you have a sense of where Brian is heading, a new flavor appears in the tracks on this recording. The material, written by Kahanek, covers a wide spectrum of styles. The tracks are unpredictable in the best sense of drawing the listener's attention. From the very first track, Bottle Rocket, it was clear that Brian wanted varied musical textures and dynamics to stand out. He succeeded! Elements of the first cut bring forth whispers of Jeff Beck, but it's all Kahanek and nothing but Kahanek. This isn't a "I want to sound like this guy" album. Rather, you walk away from the listening experience with a sense that Brian refuses to allow himself to be painted by a single brush. Brian features both his guitar playing and his vocals in this recording. The musicians who join him are deeply talented and help to bring a strong pulse to the tunes presented. The production qualities of the CD are excellent, with no instrument pushing out the others and all blending well, while filling their own acoustic space.

Kahanek did not set out to present listeners with a fireworks display of his guitar playing. This is not a "showoff" recording. It is a selection of songs that appear to speak from the soul. Yes, there ARE some guitar fireworks to be found in the tunes, but it was obvious that Brian is more about the tune than accolades for being the next "guitar wizard". There are layers of guitar on some tracks, including some incredible sounding acoustic playing where you can almost see the wood of the guitar if you close your eyes! Effects are used tastefully throughout on the electric tracks, sometimes leaving me with a desire to hear more of the pure guitar/amp/hands that I have heard on past Kahanek CDs. Yet, the interplay of guitar textures and willingness to allow dynamics tell the story make this CD a joy to listen to. By the end of the CD I decided that Kahanek is not "just" a guitar player and vocalist. He is an artist who writes great songs and this CD is well worth the price of admission!

 author: sfmproductions

According to Brian Kahanek's bio on his website, he grew up on a Farm in Ohio, which makes it no coincidence that the first adjectives that  popped into my head while listening to his new disc "one True Thing" were earthy followed closely by rootsy.  You can feel the soil in every track.

Brian is an outstanding guitarist/singer/songwriter/engineer that I would be remiss to try and categorize.  That said, this disc rocks from start to finish, kicking off with "bottle Rocket" a stinging guitar instrumental filled with soulful playing and guitar tones to die for all over a fat backbeat and some cool dynamic shifts.  This tune has all the hallmarks of a great blues/rock instrumental without ever being derivative and foreshadows the great listening experience that is "One True Thing"

Brian has his won true thing going on and his thing is as good as it gets.  The disc is filled with killer instrumentals and vocal tunes spiced with B3, acoustic guitars, smokey grooves and wide open rocking soul all with Brian's guitar screaming, crying and whispering over the top.  The Hendrix dedication live track "63 Candles" captures Jimi's vibe in a very deep way that should not be missed by any Hendrix fan.  Obviously Brian very much brings it live as in the studio.  Go get this disc!

 author: BayouBlues

A uniformly brilliant work by an ultra-talented musician.  Buy this and follow him.

When I first heard the name Brian Kahanek, it sounded awfully familiar to me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had definitely heard this name before. It’s not that Brian has been steadily releasing albums since 2004; that wasn’t it. Press in guitar magazines? Nope, nothing I ever read. But then I finally remembered where I had heard the name Brian Kahanek.

Four years ago, at the tender age of 16, I was an avid Guitar Hero player, and Kahanek’s track, “Gemini,” was featured in the game, Guitar Hero II. It had long been one of my favorite songs to play in the game — I can nail his solos like nobody else on a cheap plastic controller! Brian’s inclusion in the video game certainly helped to boost his reputation as a talented musician, not to mention exposing him to a world of younger guitar players like myself. On his new record, One True Thing, Brian shines.

This album is pure rock and roll, from start to finish. Kahanek’s guitar sound is riveting, and he blends several different styles of rock on this album, staying true to his unique style. The tracks on this album flow seamlessly from one to another. It’s not too heavy, but there are some heavy tracks. It’s not too slow, but there are some love songs. It is clear that Brian was very passionate about creating this album, and that he wanted to achieve a specific sound. His influences are obvious on all of the tracks — think of it as a rock/blues/country album with sweet and tastey lead guitars. Kahanek is accompanied by band mates Sam Daleo and Dustin Cunningham on Bass and Drums, respectively, and the trio format works great for the style.

Brian gets right into it on the first track of the album. “Bottle Rocket” is a fresh rock and roll tune with a great classic rock and roll sound, obvious blues influence, and a sound reminiscent of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. The album moves on to a more modern rock/country feel with the next few tracks, “Sunshine Man” and “Dreamland.” Kahanek’s guitar playing can be subtle at times, and then out of nowhere he cranks up the gain and hit you with a powerful solo. Brian stays true to his riff-rock roots on the tracks “Fireflies” and “Say,” and his guitar is dripping with beautiful vintage guitar tone.

Kahanek does a good job with vocals on a few tracks, mixing them nicely with some slide guitar playing on the title track, “One True Thing” and showing his softer side on the pop tune “Say,” where his guitar can’t help but make us think of the classic Olivia Newton John tune, “Magic.” His vocal tune, “Sunshine Man” can’t help but make us think of Glen Phillips/Toad the Wet Sprocket and Eric Johnson.

The final track on the album features a kickin’ live version of Kahanek’s song, “63 Candles,” paying clear homage to Jimi Hendrix both in his guitar and vocal style. Brian really shreds it up on this eight-minute final track. His guitar abilities are obvious and quite impressive.

Overall, this is a great album that all of the guitar editors are enjoying around the office. The instrumental tracks shine the brightest, and Brian really lets loose on the guitar. There are tons of excellent riffs on One True Thing, and I would recommend the album to anybody with an ear for classic rock guitar. It’s really no wonder why Kahanek was chosen to be featured in Guitar Hero. This album is finely crafted rock and roll goodness that flows effortlessly from start to finish.

— BF

I hadn’t heard of Brian Kahanek until I received a press release about him saying the following:

“Brian Kahanek and his song, “Gemini” have been catapulted into the spotlight by the amazing success of the Guitar Hero II video game. “Gemini” is featured in the coveted unlock position and is now the inspiration of many aspiring guitarists, as evidenced by the numerous postings on Youtube and the countless discussions throughout social media networking channels.”

Well I’m not a big Guitar Hero player but it’s true just search on YouTube for Guitar Hero Gemini and see how many people have posted their game. I also got sent a copy of Brian’s latest release “One True Thing”, Brian Kahanek teamed up with the legendary Dave Concors to mix the new tracks. Concors’ mixing background includes Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Billy Idol’s Charmed Life and Whiplash Smile, The Clarke/Duke Project, and soundtracks for blockbuster movies such as The Breakfast Club, Top Gun and Scarface.

“The new recording combines elements of rock, blues and country into a collection that weaves in and out of styles that fans call reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. While not simply duplicating what has been done in the past, Kahanek is truly creating something fresh and new for the next generation.”

That is a really nice and true summary of “One True Thing”, Kahanek’s playing has both the subtlety and power of Hendrix with tone to match but with an obvious Country influence thrown into his Blues Rock playing. The instrumentals on the album are my favourite tracks, notably the Shuffling Texas blues influenced “Bottle Rocket” which have the tremelo tones of Stevie Ray and Hendrix like Octave and Vibe effects for good measure, the Rock ballad “Dreamland” which starts out with a Gilmour-esque ethereal sound and builds to a crescendo with some pretty amazing shredding thrown in. This track actually reminds me of a Joe Satriani style ballad.

There is some nice slide playing on “Starlight” and “One True Thing”, the title track being an acoustic southern rock/country blues track with electric slide playing the melody with a really nice slide tone whereas “Starlight” is a shuffling 6/8 acoustic backed track again with Gilmour-esque slide melodies.

The final track “63 Candles” is pure unabashed Hendrix, from the guitar tones, licks and “Hear my train a comin’” chorus. This epic track is over 8 minutes and is amazing, in fact why not see for yourself just watch the video below of Brian performing the track live in 2007, listening to the record this might be the actual version on the CD as it has the same hum in the silences. Great playing and it really does capture the spirit of Jimi Hendrix in a way I’ve only seen Robin Trower do it before.

 author: Randy

If you are a fan of his other albums at all, you need this albums.  Every track is a winner but "Bottlerocket" is a standout great track.  Amazing guitar work and overall sound, a must own for fans of real musicians who play the hell out of their instrument.