Between Jeff Beck and Gene Vincent, Between Clapton and Zappa...

...that's where I'd have to begin to place the jaw dropping guitar licks of Boston area native, Bob Enik.

Have you ever witnessed a fine car racing toward a solid object, knowing it doesn't have time to stop and yet it does? I can't tell you the number times I've heard Bob Enik racing close to the end of a musical line, with no idea how I'D make what he's doing fit, and by the end of the line, it all makes perfect melodic sense.

I met Bob when we were kids, right around the time he picked up the guitar and I was hanging with one of his early influences, a cat from his neighborhood, who would play lead in my first band. Several bands and five years later, after filling in a few times, Bob became a member of the latest incarnation of my long time group, FLICK LIVES!

I'll never forget our first rehearsal of The Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'?" Joe Griffith's rendition of the sax solo was great, but it was what we'd come to expect of someone who could generally imitate others musically. Bob's impression of the piano solo, on the other hand, was stunning. It could have fooled a blind man into thinking it was an electric piano. This was 1973, before the synth effects that, today, make this kind of thing no big deal.

He's played in many bands around the world since then and, in my humble opinion, become a world-class player. I feel privileged to be able to listen to his playing and recognize a blend of subtle influences in his own unique style.

If you ever get a chance to cue up the instrumental "Inside VU" album, which he put together with long-time collaborator, keyboardist Paul Bosch in 2000, do yourself a favor: wear good phones and pay attention. You won't be disappointed, if you want to hear some very accomplished playing of some clever tunes. In fact, you should go to the link below and visit their homepage RIGHT NOW!