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| CD Reviews | Feature | Reviews & Features Archive | Photo Archive | Contact | MWE3 Home |
| Email: Info@mwe3.com |
Copyright ©2000-2002 MWE3.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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After
years of touring and recording behind artists such as Billy Idol, Vince
Neil and Michael Jackson, guitar ace Steve Stevens lays down his electric
guitars for an ear-opening and quite passionate instrumental tribute to
the flamenco guitar. According to Stevens, “I kind of reached an end to
playing real loud, aggressive stuff. With the shred guitar thing, it
always seems like I was playing to guys who were standing there with score
cards or something. We weren’t creating an emotional event - it was a
gymnastic event.” Seeing flamenco guitar great Paco DeLucia play live
was just the impetus Stevens needed to make his own type of flamenco
guitar album. Stevens adds, “I had gone to see Paco DeLucia play. It was
like seeing Jimi Hendrix still alive. For me Paco is the Jimi Hendrix of
flamenco guitar.” Although the emphasis is clearly on the acoustic
flavors of the Spanish guitar, Stevens tastefully transcends the respected
flamenco genre by revving up his guitar work with all sorts of drum and
bass loops, electronics, ambient sounds and midi gear. Assisted by a round
of fine players like Greg Ellis (percussion)
and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums),
Stevens should attract lots of new interest in his guitar playing with the
high tech sounding, yet immensely listenable Flamenco
A Go-Go. Another classic Ark 21
CD that features Stevens is
their various artist instrumental tribute to The Shadows, Twang!,
which features a Steven’s deft cover of the Shads ‘61 original of
producer Norrie Paramor’s “The Savage”.
The
recent release of Psychoteria
by NYC-based guitarist Errol Antzis will be the ticket to establishing
his name with instrumental guitar fans. Performing everything from
guitars and bass to keyboards himself, Antzis goes the distance with
a collection of upbeat, rockin’ instrumentals that tastefully balance
melody and sizzling intensity. Skillfully combining the drive of rock
and pop with heavy fusion, Antzis comes up with a winner on his self-owned
label debut. For retro-rock fans and ‘60s buffs there’s also righteous
covers of the Badfinger classic
“No Matter What” and the theme from the I Dream Of Jeanie ‘60s TV show. A rising figure on the guitar scene,
let’s hope Antzis sticks with it long enough to get a few more albums
out. 
Eclectic
art-rock with incredibly tight instrumental passages and time signatures
that would make most rock musicians cringe in terror are just a couple of
the concepts running rampant throughout the 1999 album from Kentucky-based
French TV. Although not dated sounding at all, The
Violence Of Amateurs wouldn’t have seemed at all out of place back
in the ‘70s, the decade that spawned progressive rock groups from just
about every country in the world. Imagine a band of talented players who
are more than happy to revel in the heyday of prog-rock icons like Gentle
Giant, ELP, Happy The Man and Return To Forever (with Al DiMeola) as well
as mid ‘70s avant-gard prog rockers like Henry Cow and National Health
and you begin to get the drift of the French TV sound. Led by Mike
Sary (bass) and Dean Zigoris (guitars),
the French TV sound is further fleshed out by a number of other fine
players. A completely instrumental set, The
Violence Of Amateurs ranges in scope from the hair-raising to the
picturesque and sublime with the highlight surely being a 21 minute,
true-to-life cover of “The Fate”, originally written and recorded in
1977 by Sweden’s best art-rock band Zamla
Mammaz Manna. The Violence Of
Amateurs is adventurous progressive rock and is recommended to anyone
who remembers the days when rock musicians were still considered artists.
e-mail: 
Arriving
in L.A. from his native Phoenix at the close of the ‘70s, guitarist
Randy Pevler has seen his share of heavy metal and hard rock scene. In
recent years, Pevler has developed a well cultivated solo career which is
straightaway showcased on his most adventurous guitar-based instrumental
outing to date. Pevler hits hard and fast but almost always reaches his
target while demonstrating a quite sensitive touch on both electric and
acoustic guitars. Like Howe, DiMeola and Santana before him, Pevler
expertly blends a variety rock and jazz-fusion sounds. His electric work
is quite dynamic and passionate, mostly to enhance his well-honed
melodies. A highlight is “Desert Caravan”, which sounds like Heavy
Metal for New Age fans. Several of the more atmospheric tracks turn the
volume down a bit and shine a light on Pevler’s nimble acoustic work
while on the electric cuts, he’s at his best, backed up in style by Robby
Pagliari (six string bass) and Donny
Sarian (drums). A fine spin for jazz-rockers and New Age metal rockers
alike. 
The spirit of guitar-based electric jazz-rock is
alive and well and living down under with the debut CD from Australian
guitarist Fred Leduc and his
group, Deluc, entitled Eighth Wonder.
The group really sparkle in quartet form with Leduc’s bold electric work
taking center state. Leduc has composed outstanding tunes and his
bandmates are clearly up for the task. In fact, Eighth
Wonder improves as the CD progresses and is time well spent for fans
of greats like Steve Morse, Steve Howe and Jan Akkerman. Although the
overall sound falls within the fusion vein, there’s certainly enough of a
melodic tilt to the whole affair so that the album would be appreciated by
fans of instrumental rock as well. Ready with a new CD to follow-up to Eighth
Wonder, Leduc’s Deluc (a tongue-twister if ever there was one!) is a
most welcome addition to the international guitar scene.