Ian Thomas McCulloch, Stonefeather Frontman, Ready to Rock Lessonface

It's not often you mix a decade of teaching experience and a Berklee education with youth and a budding recording career. But Ian Thomas McCulloch, 28 and from Austin, Texas, is not your average rocker. He's the frontman for Stonefeather, an LA-based funk-rock trio that just released its first full-length album, "California Air,” and one of the latest additions to Lessonface's stable of great teachers.

With blazing fingers and a diverse musical background -- the first CD he ever bought was "II" by Boyz II Men -- Ian is not looking to leave teaching behind should Stonefeather make him rich and famous. Instead, he hopes use his band's reach to connect with fans around the globe.

"I'm so excited to teach on Lessonface because there are people around the world who may not be able to make the trip to LA to take a lesson with me," he explained. "I hope to reach Stonefeather's fans from all different countries, teach them guitar and inspire them.”

Since moving to LA in 2007, Ian’s been perfecting Stonefeather’s sound and teaching guitar lessons, which he called some of his “most memorable moments” out west.

“I’ve been giving lessons to a boy named Charlie since he was five years old,” Ian said. “He’s now eight and is a prodigy. He always practices and picks up every concept I throw at him. The way his eyes light up when he comes in for his lesson is as inspiring to me as I hope I am to him. I'm so excited to inspire people all over the world with Lessonface. This is such a wonderful new tool for teachers and students. We're lucky to live in a time when worldwide education and collaboration is possible and fun!"

Ian's musical development, like Charlie's, got going thanks to nurturing parents, who introduced their son to Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, and Bob Marley at an early age. His own tastes later expanded to alt rockers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Green Day, and the Foo Fighters, before Ian discovered heavier metal acts like Metallica and Black Sabbath. Simultaneously, he studied greats like Jimi Hendrix and hometown hero Stevie Ray Vaughan with impactful teachers, and then branched out while attending Berklee.

"[Teacher] Al Garcia got me into instrumental music like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. He also helped me learn the style of the metal guitarists I idolized like Dimebag Darrell and Zakk Wylde,” said Ian. “I decided around my junior year of high school that I wanted to attend Berklee College of Music, so I devoted myself to learning jazz. I studied Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and the horn greats like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. My new guitar teacher Trevor Labonte taught me his style of avant garde jazz with his impeccable technique. At Berklee I became interested in the music of the world, particularly India. I studied with Carnatic guru Prasanna Ramaswamy and took lessons with the teachers that were interested in applying world music to guitar."

Ian’s now looking to pass on those great experiences he’s had with dedicated, experienced teachers with LessonFace. Check out Stonefeather’s video “What U Want” below to see him in action and visit his profile here to see more and book a lesson.

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