Gary R. Peterson
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Showcasing Musical Compositions
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Guitarist and composer is circulating his nine-song demo CD-R, The Nowhere Men Play The Music Of... Gary R. Peterson, with the express purpose of showcasing his instrumental guitar-based compositions, hoping to attract the attention of other musicians and producers who wish to record the material. Stylistically, the music touches the rock, jazz, blues and country genres, with Peterson's keen pop sense underlying the overall production. Peterson shows a predilection for adding the fourth harmonic 'voice' to basic triads, adding richness to his harmonies. "G-String Strut" is a bluesy vamp (in G of course), while his anthem of summer love, "Romanza d'Espritsville", features the "best use of a Gm6 chord with wang bar at a pivotal moment". Peterson sprinkles descriptions like this throughout his liner notes, the best of which are for "The Zone Ranger", which goes, "A ghost rider in the sky comes to the rescue riding a Stratocaster like a surfboard on a tidal wave into a forest fire." Yeah, baby!
Gary's uncle originally taught him how to play guitar, stressing the four basic chord groups - major, minor, augmented and diminished. He original started on ukulele, worked through a series of cheap guitars, and settled on a 1961 Les Paul. Gary eventually traded that guitar for a Gibson B-25 acoustic during the folk music craze of the 1960s. He has also hand-built more than 65 acoustic guitars (for customers, including Graham Nash). Gary's musical influences are Chet Atkins (and therefore Merle Travis, D'jango Reinhardt and Andres Segovia), the folk-baroque style of John Renbourn and the cosmic unorthodoxy of Jimi Hendrix who broke all the rules. Most recently he has been listening to Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot.
Peterson's hope is to inspire fellow guitarists - as well as other musicians who revere the traditional musical aspects of melody, harmony and rhythm - to interpret his works. Transcripts are available.
Contact Information
Gary R. Peterson
6464 Fredmoor
Troy, MI 48098
United States
E-mail:
Gary R. Peterson
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Scott Allen Project
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Returning To Instrumental Music
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Recently returning to hard rock instrumental music after spending time in a pop/rock band, California guitarist Scott Allen submitted his CD-R pre-release version of an upcoming album, What Lies Beyond Words. Guitar fans will note that Allen is an impressively fluid player (attendance at Hollywood's G.I.T. probably has something to do with that), with a style marked by an incendiary sense of phrasing. Frank Hannon of Tesla produced the tracks on What Lies Beyond Words, which also features rhythm guitarist Marty Cresci, powerhouse drumming courtesy of Tom Frost and the low end work of bassist Brian Kinney. The band meshes well together, setting a fine rhythmic stage for Allen's razor-edged arsenal of licks, bends, hooks and fills. Instrumental fans will find a lot to like here, and should be looking forward to 2006 when two Scott Allen Project CDs will hit the market.
Scott began playing the guitar at the age of eleven after witnessing the incredible playing of Eddie Van Halen on a live videotape. After studying with many teachers, he finally had become something of a decent guitarist by the age of eighteen. Two years after graduating from high school, he attended the Musicianšs Institute G.I.T, at age twenty. There he learned to refine his chops from pros like Scott Henderson, Danny Gill, Brett Garsed and Steve Trovato. Scott moved back to his hometown of Sacramento, where he began immediately teaching guitar at Northridge Music Center. After hooking up with like-minded musicians, he started the Scott Allen Project and began gigging, opening for such national acts as: Gary Hoey, Dave Meniketti, Planet X, and Frank Hannon of Tesla. An underwhelming response to their demo led to an extended hiatus (three and a half years).
In 2004, Allen decided that it was time to return to his instrumental guitar roots. He acquired the necessary equipment to begin demos for a new Scott Allen Project album. An early 2006 re-release of What Lies Beyond Words is in the works, as is a limited West Coast tour, and the late 2006 release of the new SAP album.
Contact Information
Scott Allen Project
1995 Milan Way
Lincoln, CA 95648
United States
E-mail:
Scott Allen Project
Web site:
www.scottallenproject.com
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