In the dimly lit basement of a suburban home, Brian Hunsaker’s musical journey began. Rain pattered against the window, and the year was 1989—a time when Seattle was more than just a city; it was a crucible for creativity. Brian, a wide-eyed ninth-grader, sat cross-legged on the floor, headphones clamped over his ears. The cassette tape spun, and **”Surfing With the Alien”** poured forth from the speakers. In that moment, destiny struck like lightning: Brian needed a guitar. Not just any guitar, mind you, but one that could channel the same cosmic energy as Joe Satriani’s six-string sorcery.
His mother, bless her heart, scoured pawnshops until she unearthed a battered **Gibson Corvus**—a relic with a soul. For $150, it became Brian’s conduit to the sublime. He took lessons, but let’s be honest—the allure of Iron Maiden, Dio, and Satriani’s own riffs pulled him off the beaten path. Yet those fundamentals—the scales, the chords—were seeds planted in fertile soil. And so, after school, Brian embarked on a **4-to-6-hour-a-day practice regimen**. The rain outside became the rhythm section to his solos, and the gray skies harmonized with his dreams.
But life, as it often does, threw curveballs. Vocal metal bands eluded him; the right singer remained elusive. Undeterred, Brian sought vocal coaching from a disciple of the legendary Maestro Kyle. He sang, he played, but the world wasn’t ready for a resurgence of classic metal vocals. Disillusionment settled in, like fog rolling off Puget Sound. Yet Brian’s spirit refused to be silenced. He made a pivotal choice: **instrumental guitar music**. It was a genre that had whispered to him all along, like a secret chord waiting to be struck.
And so, with fingers calloused and heart aflame, Brian composed. His debut album emerged—an alchemical fusion of technique and emotion. “Farewell to the King” stands as its centerpiece. The guitar weeps, shouts, and soars. It’s a love letter to lost kingdoms, to rain-soaked streets, to every note that ever echoed in Brian’s soul. When you listen, you’re not just hearing music; you’re tracing the contours of a life—a life dedicated to the six strings.
**🎵 Play it loud, Brian. Play it often. We’re listening.