by Jeffrey Moellering

Adelaide born Orianthi crashed into Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre on October 24th and made a searing statement that ladies can dive deep into a bubbling vat of voodoo chili and stir up a cosmic soul dance. Orianthi is not new on the music scene, having collaborated with greats such as Santana, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, and Richie Sambora. She’s now 40 and boldly stepping into the spotlight as a featured artist.

Ushers working the Capitol Theatre event asked me beforehand, “How do you pronounce her name?”, curious about this young lady’s story. Orianthi isn’t some invented stage name; it’s her real name, born into a Greek family. She uses it now as a mononym, and I don’t expect anyone will be stealing it any time soon, as she is indeed “one of one” in more than just name.

Orianthi was born into a musical family, started playing very young, and after witnessing a Carlos Santana concert at 11, launched her trajectory as she knew at that moment that electric guitar would be her life’s passion. Releasing an album as a teenager, she sent it to Carlos and eventually found her way onto his stage the next time he visited Australia, ultimately leading to touring stints with Alice Cooper and Carrie Underwood. Orianthi’s life arc has been like a rocket ship since then, garnering worldwide acclaim for her musicianship, as she now has a signature model with the elite guitar maker PRS, the brand favored by Carlos Santana and Al DiMeola.

Orianthi’s Clearwater appearance was part of the tour supporting her new album, “Some Kind of Feeling”, which is her fifth solo album. Watching Orianthi live could be described as being strapped in for a guitar-driven roller-coaster: she combines showmanship, serious chops, and a genuine connection with the crowd. She took the stage promptly and dove right into her rocking set with a tight power trio, allowing her to shine as the main course.

Orianthi’s guitar skills are indeed impressive. She combines speed, precision, tone and dynamics in a way that makes it feel more like storytelling than simply showing off. She seemed to be thinking, “You know, I could just go off on an extended Eddie Van Halen tapping jam, but I’m here to show you the artist I am through my music, and not simply as a novelty act and a bag of tricks”.

She made the Florida audience chuckle with a weather quip, saying that she was having difficulties keeping the guitar in tune with the humidity, and with a nod to the ladies, bemoaning the fact that it didn’t help her luscious locks of hair either!

There seems to be a certain burden she carries in being a beautiful lady who also happens to be an electric guitar virtuoso. And that is, how to be taken seriously for one’s talent and not getting a first look, simply because of fact you’re a woman, instead of appreciating the music first before you knew who was playing it. Now, most might say “Oh, woe is me – you’re a drop-dead gorgeous lady who plays like Joe Satriani! What a horrible fate in life!” But, each person has their own relative journey, and making it as a lady rock guitarist in a macho male dominated world surely has its great challenges in trying to rise above the novelty of that. To her credit, she puts on a no-nonsense show, presenting herself in a manner that you’d expect a well-known male rocker to do after decades in the business. The fact that she brushes aside any mention of it at all in a way makes in the elephant in the room. And, despite her notoriety, most in the US still do not know who she is, so I thought she could have benefited by explaining a bit more about her personal story, and lean into it, instead of doing everything possible to tell that solely through the music.

In an effort to establish her “street cred”, she name dropped many musicians, such as Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, and the fact that she recorded her new album at the studio of Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, as a means of confirming her legitimacy. No mention was made of her association with Michael Jackson, however, by whom she was selected to be the tour guitarist for his ill-fated “This Is It” tour, which did not proceed after his death during the rehearsal stages.

Orianthi ripped seamlessly through several genres, from 80s style hard rock, covering ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man”, to 70’s classics like Free’s “All Right Now”, and numerous heavy blues songs, which she delivers with a fiery intensity.

As a testament to her broad reach into the music community, Orianthi delivered the local fans a real treat when she brought out Tampa Bay based guitarist Nate Najar, who is famously known for his incredible Brazilian samba guitar mastery with his partner Daniele Soledade. Nate is also a fine proponent of electric blues guitar, and he joined Orianthi with a sizzling blues duo that lit up the room, which erupted in cheers after their blistering exchange of rapid fire licks. That was truly one of the evening’s highlights. The two are genuine friends, as they smiled with great appreciation of each other’s talents after their almost symbiotic exchange.

Orianthi otherwise largely let the music do the talking, as she stormed through a stunning 85-minute set. Her bass and drum rounding out the trio is strong and tight. Multi-genre setlists meant that the players shifted gears quickly, and Orianthi guides them with ease—one moment full roar, the next stripped down intimacy.

It should be mentioned that Orianthi is also a very fine vocalist. Singing with that level of passion while playing is a feat that many of the greatest guitarists have noted they cannot do simultaneously, but she pulls it off with ease. I’ll say this as someone who also photographed the evening, it made it challenging to get a clear shot of her away from the microphone! However, make no mistake that guitar is her primary instrument, and she leaves her fans with no doubt about that.

As a finale, Orianthi concluded with a towering version of the Hendrix anthem “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”, which had everyone in the auditorium on their feet. She has a style and panache not unlike Prince and Hendrix, with a flowing top, flashes of purple and the stylish fedora. It was a powerful culmination of her prowess, with soaring sounds erupting like a volcano from Venus.

If you appreciate guitar mastery, live energy, and an artist who plays for real (no backing tracks hiding the musicianship), a show by Orianthi is a must see! It’s marvelous to hear such a talented female performer truly stand on their own merits for an absolute six-string mastery, and it will indeed be inspiring to see her career unfold as she gracefully matriculates into the maturity of her career’s accomplishments. You can be certain that I’ll be in attendance any time she graces a Tampa Bay stage!