In Tampa Bay’s instrumental music scene, seeing Shaun Hopper is believing

Shaun Hopper is the kind of artist you have to see with your own two eyes before you can believe he’s real. Catching another fingerstyle guitarist—Canadian great Don Ross—is how the Clearwater guitarist’s world first got blown open.

“It sounded like so many people playing one part. But when you went and watched the individual, the artist is just one guy or one girl doing it,” Hopper told CL. “The first thing that drew me to it was just how majestic it was.”

Hopper’s offerings took years and years of discipline to sharpen and his output is just as awe-inspiring. He gets lost, and lets listeners become awash in the groove of bass lines, rhythm, percussive beats and melodies all at the same time as he effortlessly cycles through styles like straight up prog, jazz, blues, ballads and more.

A relentless gigger who’s shared stages with Bret Michaels and Dave Koz, Hopper mostly plays in Pinellas County.

See a list of the best Tampa Bay instrumental bands you can listen to right now.

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This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2024.