Tim Henson is one of his generation’s most gifted guitar players. As a member of instrumental rock band Polyphia, he has gained a reputation for his incredibly fluid, unique, melodic style that combines pretty much every trick in the guitar-playing book, creating something that is dazzling to both listen to and watch. His personal YouTube channel has over a quarter of a million subscribers who regularly tune in to watch his shreds (often of unlikely songs by the likes of Ariana Grande), guitar tutorials, and other vlogs. Despite Polyphia gaining notice as a rock band, and despite his prodigious talent, Henson has increasingly drawn his influences from pop and hip-hop music, being vocal in his growing dislike of “guitar music”.
Henson is one of the founding members of Polyphia, who first got together in Dallas, Texas in 2010. Among their initial uploads to YouTube were guitar covers of classical pieces, such as Bach’s ‘Concerto No. 1 in D Minor’. However, their first EP, 2013’s Inspire, showcased the influence of rock sub-genres such as metalcore and math rock. A video of ‘Impassion’ from the EP became a viral hit, gaining millions of views and introducing audiences to the superlative guitar playing of Henson and fellow Poyphia guitarist Scott LePage.
Since then, Polyphia have released three albums: Muse, Renaissance, and New Levels New Devils, as well as a string of EPs and singles. They have toured the United States with the likes of Periphery and increasingly sought to introduce elements of genres as disparate as EDM and funk into their ever-evolving sound.
