Tag Archives: guitar

First Axe: Christoph Götzen

August 22, 2022 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On our series called “First Axe”, we ask members of Tilted Axes to tell us their electric guitar origin stories. This time, we’re talking to guitarist and composer Christoph Götzen, who is based in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was raised on punk rock but studies and experiments with jazz composition.

Christoph is organizing a festival this week in honor of International Strange Music Day on August 24th.

Strange Music Festival runs for three days, August 24 to 26, and features a line up of DJ’s and bands at various locations around Düsseldorf.

Christoph says:

“The reason I got so attached to Strange Music Day and wanted to make it into some kind of festival was to bring people together. People who were like, listening to different music . And with the festival,I felt it’s a good way to do it because, mostly you will have more than one band.

So even if people only like one band, they’re most likely gonna listen to another that maybe isn’t their style of choice, but still, they will be there listening to it. And the term “strange” – I like to use it in a way just to open up and to experience different cultures of music.”

Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is an orchestra of guitarists and percussionists led by composer/performer Patrick Grant. They perform original music with mini-amps strapped over their shoulders, moving through public spaces in museums, parks and city streets. Its roster of musicians can change from performance to performance, city to city. Follow the group at @tiltedaxes.

Sudeip Ghosh: Strings and Things

December 7, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

This time on the Strings and Things podcast, super-shredder Sudeip Ghosh is here to change the strings on his Dean Zelinsky guitar while our host, Patrick Grant, works on his trusty Les Paul. Sudeip grew up playing and singing Indian classical music, but a chance encounter with a hard rock mixtape ignited his dreams of power chord glory.

Sudeip will tell us how a one-string acoustic and a scarcity of guitar magazines tested his determination, and how he’s come into his own as a metal guitarist, a film composer, and a Bollywood musician. As always, we’ll put the new guitar strings through their paces when Patrick and Sudeip plug in to record some rollicking riffs.

Let’s take this opportunity to check out some of Sudeip’s many musical projects. First off, he is the lead guitarist for the band Meaxic, a progressive rock/metal trio which also includes Jeet Suresh Paul on vocals and guitar, and John Stallings on drums. Here’s a video for their song, “Back On”:

Next up is Akramon, Sudeip’s instrumental project with band-mates Hirak Sen on lead/rhythm guitar, and Rishabh Natarajan on bass. The band’s name means “attack”, which describes their approach to taking metal styles and techniques and adding some Indian classical or eastern musical flavors. Here’s a piece from them called “Graviton”:

And here’s the great video for “Stay” which Sudeip talks about in the podcast. Manas & Sudeip is more of a rock/grunge project with Indian influences, and their new EP, The Remote Collaborations, is available on iTunes:

To find out more about what Sudeip is up to, find him on Facebook or visit his YouTube page for more music!

Strings and Things Episode 10 Trailer

September 18, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On the next Strings and Things podcast, bass player Jeremy Nesse is on tap to tell us about the albums and musicians who inspired him to pick up the Chapman Stick, and he’ll describe the pitfalls of playing such an unusual instrument. We’ll find out how his Dad handed down his deep love of music…and why Jeremy’s own son hasn’t quite caught the musical bug just yet.

This is the Strings and Things podcast, where guitarists come by to change their strings, shoot the breeze and play some music. Look us up on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and YouTube or visit our website at stringsandthingsshow.com.

Strings and Things Episode 9 Trailer

August 14, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On the next Strings and Things podcast, a new music guitar maven looks back on how his family helped set him on his career path. James Moore, a co-founder and director of Dither, the electric guitar quartet, will be here with his National steel string while our host Patrick Grant works on an Ovation Balladeer. James tells us what his grandmother taught him about composition, and discusses his recording of John Zorn’s Book of Heads, a set of eclectic etudes for solo guitar.

Daniel Reyes Llinas: Strings and Things

July 9, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On this episode of Strings and Things, Daniel Reyes Llinas loosens the pegs on his custom Strat while our host, Patrick Grant tunes up a sparkly Danelectro.

Daniel takes us back to his childhood in Colombia, where he sang in the choir until his godfather gave him money for his first guitar. He was self taught until beginning formal instruction with Carlos Castilla and he went on to study classical guitar at Andes University in Bogotá.

But like many young musicians, Daniel was also drawn to pop and rock and formed a couple of bands with frends. He points to his early love of the Beatles, his Dad’s Pink Floyd and ELO records, New Wave and Latin rock, and finally, the discovery of King Crimson, as signposts in his musical development.

Proving that one does get to meet one’s heroes, for the last decade, Daniel has studied in Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft courses, and performed in Fripp’s Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists. He released a first album called “Molino” and has worked on the scores for several films. He’s the composer and co-founder of Parias Ensemble, “an instrumental group dedicated to blurring the lines of improvisation and written music”.

Find out more about Daniel’s work at his website, llinasmusic.com.

Anthony Mullin: Strings and Things

April 9, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

This time on the Strings and Things podcast, we have Anthony Mullin, from the merry band of head-banging hard-rockers called The Blackfires. He’s here to work on a very special Les Paul with a cool backstory, and he’ll tell us how his PhD influences his musical efforts.

While he and our host Patrick Grant re-string their guitars, we’ll hear how Anthony’s parents played a pivotal role in his early days as a musician, and we’ll find out what riffs and records inspired Anthony’s blues-based approach to his own playing.

Hailing from Leeds, England, Anthony joins an international crew of dedicated rockers in The Blackfires and the group is in a significant moment in their career. Enthusiastically described as a “hard rock circus,” their live shows garner raves for the rollicking energy and potency of the band’s performances.

After opening for Aerosmith in Russia and continuing a busy live schedule, the band heads into the studio this summer to work on a new album. Your can find out more about Anthony and The Blackfires at their website, theblackfires.com.

Matt Grossman: Strings and Things

March 11, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On this edition of Strings and Things, the versatile electric guitarist Matt Grossman works on an iGuitar and host Patrick Grant attends to a Les Paul Standard.

As an in-demand soloist in New York City, Matt describes how he finds his role in different kinds of ensembles, from jazz and R&B, to folk and rock. He relates the story of a particularly alarming performance, and then amps up for a funky duet with Patrick.

Matt has also been teaching music for many years, to all age levels and all kinds of styles. You can find out more about him at mattgrossmanmusic.com.

Strings and Things is a Peppergreen Production for Headstepper Media. Find out more at stringsandthingsshow.com.

Ann Klein: Strings and Things

February 26, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On this second episode of Strings and Things, the eclectic guitarist and singer/songwriter Ann Klein re-strings her Telecaster, while our host Patrick Grant works on his surf green Jaguar.

As the old guitar strings get replaced, Ann runs down the pros and cons of performing for live theatre, and describes a couple of hairy moments onstage. We’ll hear about her dog’s hidden talents, and then plug in the Vox amps for a live rendition of her song “Chocolate Pie”.

Ann plays guitar, mandolin, dobro and lap steel. As a composer/songwriter, she’s toured in Europe and the US and composed music for documentary films, non-profit organizations, and television shows. As a guitarist, she’s worked with artists such as Ani DiFranco, Kate Pierson (of the B-52s), Joan Osborne, PM Dawn, Jon King (of the Gang of Four), the American Composers Orchestra, and many others. Ann was the lead guitarist for an all female band sent to Saudi Arabia as cultural diplomats by the U.S. State Department in 2013. She has performed on Broadway in Grease, 9 to 5, Everyday Rapture, Baby It’s You, and Kinky Boots.

Ann’s latest release is Tumbleweed Symphony. To find out more about her and hear tracks from all her albums, visit her webpage at annkleinmusic.com.

Strings and Things is a Peppergreen Production for Headstepper Media.

Strings and Things: Episode 2 Trailer

February 20, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

Next on the Strings and Things podcast, guitar dynamo Ann Klein works around the b-bender on her Telecaster and talks about life in the broadway trenches.

This is Strings and Things, the show where musicians come by to change their strings and talk about about all kinds of things. Then we amp up and put those new strings right to work in a special performance with our guest. We hope you’ll join us!

Strings and Things is a Peppergreen Production for Headstepper Media.

Tony Geballe: Strings and Things

February 12, 2016 Jocelyn Leave a comment

On the premiere episode of Strings and Things, composer/guitarist Tony Geballe stops by to change the strings on his custom-built Nelson Fidelis TG1 electric guitar, while our host Patrick Grant re-strings his Rickenbacker 330. Tony tells us about his first guitar hero, and how he started playing in a Progressive Darkwave band. Then the Vox amps come out and they perform an excerpt from Tony’s score for a stage version of Faust.

Tony Geballe (a Seattle native living in New York City) has studied, taught and performed music of many kinds all over the world. His main instrument is guitar, including nylon-string, steel-string, 12-string and electric. Tony also works as a composer and sound designer for theater, and a producer and engineer for various recording projects.

To find out more about Tony Geballe, visit his webpage at tonygeballemusic.com.