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New Adventures In MIDI Guitar
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Influenced by the music of Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore and other heavyweight guitarists, Florida's Andy Garrett has recently released Levi's War, a CD-R release of 10 instrumentals which combine shred and neo-classicism with a MIDI guitar at the center of it all. Garrett can really burn and the compositions are serious up-tempo raves which allow for plenty of wickedly fast soloing. The MIDI guitar is used extensively, as Garrett produces many of the non-guitar sounds and solos with his MIDI enabled axe. The overall sound is unique, with the only weakness being the production of the bass and drums. This music wants to have a heavy sound, so the lightweight sound of the drum machine and bass sequences doesn't add the proper weight to the material. Check out the sound clips for some fresh sounds that neo-classical fans are sure to enjoy.
Andy took up the guitar at age 10, inspired by the Beatles. He wrote his first song at age 13, and began teaching professionally at age 16 for the Palmer School of Music in Battle Creek, Michigan. At age 22 he wrote, recorded and produced his first EP with the band Horizon. Inspired by the Shrapnel Records label, Andy started his own independent record label in 1994 with his brother Jeff, called GBM Records. He continues to release music through the label today.
Levi's War is only the beginning for Garrett, as he embarks on a brave new MIDI guitar journey into a brand new century. His goal is to entertain people through his recordings and to help bridge the gap between technology and emotion in MIDI guitar.
Contact Information
Andy Garrett
4900 SE 102nd PL #7
Belleview, FL 34420
United States
E-mail:
Andy Garrett
Web site:
members.tripod.com/~Andrew_Garrett
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Guitar, Rap & Techno Blend
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C.T. is a guitarist from Houston, Texas who sent in a two song demo CD-R to demonstrate his blend of guitar, rap and techno sounds. He plays all of the instruments and sings and raps as well. The first demo, "Crank It Up" begins with a guitar solo, then the guitar takes a breather as the rap/rock mix dominates the rest of the tune. The next track, "Break It Down" also begins with a guitar solo, followed by a binary rhythm mixed with rap, keyboards and sporadic guitar breaks -- a true musical fusion. There isn't really a lot of guitar work going on in either song -- I think eventually when C.T.'s writing matures, he will have better luck getting fans of rap and techno to accept guitar solos in the songs, rather than finding guitar fans accepting the modern rhythms in place of traditional guitar dominance.
Clint Tran (C.T.) was born in Vietnam and later moved to the United States. He started playing guitar at the age of 13, with a love of techno, rock and rap music fueling his desire to become a musician. C.T. later learned keyboards and combined his instruments in such a way as to create his own personal sound. The groups that inspire him include Run-DMC, Prince and the Beastie Boys. C.T. currently has his music playing on the Asian Channel Network in Houston. He also gives guitar lessons part-time and is now concentrating on writing and recording new material.
C.T.'s long term goal is to work under a major record label. He would like to get a record contract and eventually write and produce for other artists.
Contact Information
C.T.
7002 Langdon
Houston, TX 77074
United States
E-mail:
C.T.
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