Steve Vai and Dave Navarro champion 16-year-old folk guitarist who has blown them away: “You have what it takes”
Queens of the Stone Age, Fred Durst, Vernon Reid and H.E.R. have also praised the teen’s age-defying songcraft
A young folk guitarist has been praised by several guitar greats after posting an original song on Instagram.
16-year-old Todd Crozier, from Liverpool, England, is winning the hearts of many on social media. His nostalgia-tinged piece, Horned Creature, has received over 230,000 likes since it was posted last week.
Steve Vai, Dave Navarro, and Chimp Spanner are among those waxing lyrical about his talents. Queens of the Stone Age, Vernon Reid, and H.E.R. have also showered Crozier with likes and comments.
Everyone is praising the teenager for his chops and lyricism that extend far beyond his years.
“You obviously have what it takes,” Vai writes. “Now, go boy go!”
Dave Navarro adds: “Count me in as a new massive fan! You are simply amazing, and in this day and age, with the state of the music business, it’s such a refreshing thing to hear something so new, vulnerable, and dissonant. I wish you all the luck in the world, buddy.”
He’s also garnered comments from Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, while the official QOTSA account went as far as to say: “It’s an honor to listen to you free yourself from the difficulties of this life. My deepest respects.”
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Horned Creature is not yet on streaming platforms, but we expect it to land in the near future as Crozier’s music continues to draw eyes and ears. He is a raw talent; it’s easy to be swept into the emotionally potent atmosphere of his music.
As another user says, Crozier feels like an old soul in a young body. His future is bright, and the reaction to his vulnerable songwriting online is nothing short of heartwarming. Remember the name.
In related news, Nuno Bettencourt has been left spellbound by another young guitar prodigy on Instagram. Elsewhere, Bay Melnick Virgolino has followed up his stellar America’s Got Talent showing by jamming with Slash and Joe Bonamassa, and playing Jimmy Fallon with Phoebe Bridgers.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
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