Tag Archives: guitars

First Axe: Christoph Götzen

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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

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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!

James Moore: Strings and Things

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Above photo by Isabelle Selby.

The podcast goes unplugged this week! Our host, Patrick Grant is in the front parlor with James Moore of the Dither Guitar Quartet. They’ve got National and Ovation acoustic guitars and they intend to use them. We’ll find out how James made it from the San Francisco Bay Area to the new music scene here in New York. He’ll tell us about the strange playing techniques he uses on his recent album of  solo guitar music by John Zorn, and we’ll hear an exclusive rendition of a Chet Atkins ballad.

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Dither is an electric guitar quartet that includes James,  Taylor Levine, Joshua Lopes, and Gyan Riley. They specialize in an experimental mix of “composed music, improvisation, and electronic manipulation.”  They’ve performed across the United States and overseas since forming in 2007, and produce a yearly festival of music and art called Extravaganza!.

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As a multi-instrumentalist and composer, James juggles a number of musical projects aside from Dither, such as The Hands Free, an acoustic quartet, and a rock band called Forever House. He recently put out another album of violin and steel-string resonator guitar called Gertrudes, with Andie Springer. The pair formed their duo when they were on tour with playwright Richard Maxwell’s “Neutral Hero”.

The CD for James’ version of the guitar etudes by John Zorn called “Book of Heads” includes a film featuring the crazy techniques involved in the making of the album. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see on the DVD:

James Moore plays John Zorn: The Book of Heads, Etude 13 from steve taylor on Vimeo.

Find out more about James at his website: http://www.jamesmooreguitar.com/

Strings and Things Episode 8 Trailer

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A Colombian-born, New York City composer brings in his custom Strat and looks back on his earliest musical influences.

Daniel Reyes Llinas, co-founder of the Parias Ensemble takes us back to his first 10 dollar guitar and traces his evolution as a musician through some of his favorite genres: classical, pop, new wave, metal, jazz and progressive rock. Then he’ll tell us what he’s cooking up when he’s not onstage or in rehearsal.

Join our host, composer/performer Patrick Grant, on the Strings and Things podcast, where guitarists come by to change their strings, tell some stories and play music. Look us up on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Angela Babin: Strings and Things

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On this episode of Strings and Things, Angela Babin drops by to work on a Melody Maker that hasn’t been out and about in years, while our host Patrick Grant restrings his studio-weary Les Paul. They’ll swap stories about the weirdest gigs they’ve played in New York City, and talk about how numbers and math inspire Angela’s current compositions. Then they’ll amp up for a special Strings and Things duet.

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Since picking up the electric guitar at 14 years old, over the years Angela’s performed in a wide range of venues, from Folk City and CBGBs, to BAM and the Berlin Jazz Festival. She entered the downtown New York music scene with the band Off Beach, and played guitar in the nine-piece experimental rock group The Ordinaires. The Ordinaires were compared to Philip Glass, Captain Beefheart, Henry Mancini, Husker Du and Stravinsky – all at the same time! You may remember their cover of “Kashmir” was all over MTV at the time:

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Angela performed with Homer Erotic, founded by poets Maggie Dubris and Barbara Barg, as well as the groups Alpha Cat, Inviolate, The Raging Hormones, and The Blacklite Orchestra. She’s currently playing guitar with the blues-based Gotham Roots Orchestra, formed by composer/producer Cristian Amigo.


– photo by Marc Latrique

There’s a great blog post on the Prepared Guitar website where you can find out much more about Angela Babin and her work. Check it out!

Anthony Mullin: Strings and Things

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Ann Klein: Strings and Things

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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.

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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”.

Photo by Sandrine Lee
Photo by Sandrine Lee

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.