There was a time when guitar wasn`t king.  But that time is gone
forever, thanks to Rock `N` Roll and bands like Fourth Estate. Featuring Dave Beegle -
`one of the most renowned underground guitarists of our time` according
to Great Guitar Sites on the Web - Fourth Estate has created a
progressive, guitar-based music that fuses red hot riffs, deep, rumbling
rhythms and exploratory compositions that challenge the ear and boil the
blood. On their most recent release, See What I See, the music goes
beyond the usual flash guitar work of most of their contemporaries and
takes rock into another world - literally. Listen to "Kara Kum", a
three-part electric suite, and find out where Western guitar sounds meet
Bulgarian folk melodies and rhythms. "Crazy Ivan" is a heady musical
journey across a broad, brawny soundscape that may as well be the
endless expanse of the Russian steppes. Not to ignore influences at
home, of course, "The Hammer Song" turns blues-rock adrenaline into a
rollicking blast of guitar assault pandemonium. But Fourth Estate not
only creates innovative music, they are also masters of innovative
instruments. On See What I See, witness Beegle`s expert use of the
Transperformance Automatic Tuning Guitar, employing the futuristic
Digital Tuning System that creates a whole new universe of tunings with
just the touch of a finger. Other guitarists like Jimmy Page, Joe Perry
and Pat Metheny also play this groundbreaking instrument, but none of
them have turned it into an album full of music like this.
Of course, Fourth Estate, based in Colorado, has been making their
genre-expanding rock for years. Formed in 1987, the band released their
debut album, Finesse and Fury, in 1992 and quickly established
themselves as leaders in progressive music. From the clarity and beauty
of tracks like "Joy" and "Routier" (the first-ever recording featuring
the Automatic Tuning Guitar) to the energizing, raw drive of "Mason
Street Shuffle" and the two-fisted punch of "Juggernaut", Finesse and
Fury was a worthy predecessor to See What I See. A trip to perform in
Bulgaria in 1994 for the International Festival of the Arts provided new
musical inspiration and when the group returned to the studio, these
influences helped them create an exotic and powerful world of sound.
Originally released in 1995, See What I See remains a benchmark
recording in contemporary instrumental music and Fourth Estate continues
to stretch the boundaries of Rock `N` Roll - where the guitar is most
certainly king!
 Fourth Estate released a limited edition CD of live material, titled Joy
in Rock in 1997. They will be releasing a collection of early material
in 1999 entitled The Dustbuster Demo`s. Dave Beegle will be releasing a
solo CD, which will be mostly acoustic, as well as a Some-what
Definitive collection that features Fourth Estate faves and other
various Dave Beegle creations. As for new Fourth Estate material - Stay
tuned!
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