Jere Haakana
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17 Year Old Finnish Dude Does The Demo Deal
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Jere Haakana, a self-described "17 year old guitar-playing dude from Finland", submitted a collection of demos entitled Invalid Cat. A super shredder who plays a kind of 'jazz metal' (Shawn Baxter, Greg Howe, Bumblefoot, Shawn Lane, etc.) and who loves guitaristic eccentricities (ala Steve Vai), Haakana's ten instrumentals demonstrate a highly advanced technical ability, with many passages played at dizzying tempos. He doesn't fuse metal and jazz as much as he intersperses and intertwines the two -- a listen to the title track would be a good aural example. When he sticks to the creative stuff (there are a couple of 'just watch me blaze' tracks, and the slower stuff doesn't really work), Haakana can keep the guitar-crazy listener immensely entertained. With five more years of compositional experience, it would be amazing what this kid could do with his skills.
Jere started playing piano at the age of 11, but quit because the music he wanted to play couldn't be duplicated on the piano. Later he moved on the guitar, and since that time he has lost his social life, his dreams of university and his mental health. Jere has written and recorded loads of material and is currently sending demos to different record companies. All he really wants to do is play the guitar.
After he finishes high school, Haakana will either continue with his musical education or end up working at McDonald's.
Contact Information
Jere Haakana
Vehkakatu 34
81700 Lieksa
Finland
E-mail:
Jere Haakana
Web site:
personal.inet.fi/surf/jerehaakana
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Adam Delacour
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English Guitarist Looks For Record Company Interest
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Adam Delacour submitted an EP-length CD-R collection entitled Passing Over, which contains four instrumental tracks and one vocal number. Delacour is a very talented guitarist with a heavy fusion/hard rock style and a penchant for unusual arrangements and grooves. The opener "Nocturne" has a driving metallic sound, with wah-wah melodic themes and a blistering fusion-inspired solo. Another song with a skillful use of the wah is "To Infinity And Beyond", a compositionally challenging number with an infectious verse and a shred-quality solo. "The Chaos Theory" will have you 'air guitaring' the fusion solo, reminiscent of Frank Gambale. The guitar work is strong top to bottom; however the vocal number, "It's Been Said", just left us thinking, "Why sing?" Adam's got instrumental and guitaristic gifts, let's hope they get put to good use.
Adam started playing guitar when he was fourteen, influenced by players such as Richie Kotzen, Steve Vai and Marty Friedman. He loved metal, but gradually got heavily into bebop and players such as Pat Martino. Adam then started writing instrumental songs ("Nocturne" was his first piece), experimenting musically as well as technically. He studied composition at the London College of Music, and has played in a variety of bands, from jazz to hip-hop to a Faith No More cover band. Adam works as a guitar tutor for the Kent Music School and looks forward to becoming a tutor at the International Guitar Festival in Bath.
Delacour is currently working on a vocal album to be recorded next year. He is looking for record company interest, as he wishes for his 'weird and wonderful material' to be exposed to a wider audience.
Contact Information
Adam Delacour
1 Flaxman Drive
Allington
Maidstone
Kent ME16 ORU
England
E-mail:
Adam Delacour
Web site:
www.delacour.co.uk
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