Born in Vermont in 1981 and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, New York–based composer Nico Muhly graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English Literature. In 2004, he received a Masters in Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied under Christopher Rouse and John Corigliano. A former boy chorister, Muhly has composed extensively for choir, including commissions from the Clare College Choir and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Paul Gilbert is well known for his highly-acclaimed technical guitar work with <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Racer+X" class="bbcode_artist">Racer X</a> and <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Mr.+Big" class="bbcode_artist">Mr. Big</a> . After he parted ways with Mr. Big in 1996, Paul pursued his career as a solo guitarist and has evolved into a successful solo artist/singer/songwriter. Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk and classical, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. His guitar work is characterised by his floating right hand contrary to the more common anchored right hand that guitarists like <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pink+Floyd" class="bbcode_artist">Pink Floyd</a>'s <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/David+Gilmour" class="bbcode_artist">David Gilmour</a> favour.
Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California) is a session musician, songwriter, arranger, producer and guitar player, best known for his work with pop/prog-rock band Toto. In addition to his work with Toto, Lukather has released several solo albums. Lukather made himself famous by being the most sought-after session guitarist in LA in the 70s and 80s. He would walk into a studio last minute and lay down perfect tracks the first time, in whatever style required.
The Tango Saloon is an experimental tango band from Sydney, Australia. Their self-titled debut, a tango-flavored album with a twist of spaghetti western, was released in 2006 by Ipecac Recordings, the American record label run by Mike Patton and Greg Werckman. The followup, Transylvania was released in 2008. In June 2007, the band was seen supporting Ipecac label-mates Peeping Tom on the East-coast leg of their Australian tour.
Guitarist and songwriter, Kurtis Gentle.
Quietly spoken and extremely determined, this 18 year old from country Victoria, Australia surprises a crowd once an instrument is put in his hand, whether that instrument be guitar, banjo or lap slide. With a seemingly effortless voice and intricate guitar work he is proving to be an immense and evolving new talent. Kurtis says his music could be described as acoustic roots and that he likes to keep things simple, but “simple” is not a word which comes to mind when watching him play his fast-paced fingerstyle guitar.
65daysofstatic began in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2001 as Iain Armstrong, Paul Wolinski and Joe Shrewsbury. Contrary to popular belief, they did not originally form to try to write music to fit the unreleased and little known John Carpenter film, 'Stealth Bomber' (starring Kurt Russell). Instead, they took their name from the 1954 CIA-backed coup d'etat in Guatemala. There, the CIA disabled Guatemalan communication systems while spreading propaganda, leading to the overthrow of the government.
Bob Brozman (born 1954) is an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist. He has performed in a number of styles such as blues, Gypsy jazz, calypso, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. Brozman has also collaborated with musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds such as India, Africa, Japan, Papua New Guinea and Reunion Island. He has been called "an instrumental wizard" and "a walking archive of 20th Century American music.
Sleepmakeswaves are an instrumental rock band from Sydney, Australia. Drawing influences mainly from but not limited to post-rock, the young quartet mix driving metallic bombast with textured electronics to create a sonic space where delicate melodies and thunderous climaxes peacefully co-exist. Since their formation in late 2006, sleepmakeswaves have rapidly established themselves as a promising and unique voice in their field.
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers (1978–1999) had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola and Joan Jeanrenaud on cello. Jennifer Culp replaced Jeanrenaud on cello in 1999. Jeffrey Zeigler replaced Culp on cello in 2005.
from Cyclic Defrost: Melbourne’s MC Ivens first emerged from the hip-hop scene a few years back as a founding member of the Awakenings Crew. Ivens’ live performances resemble the intense atmosphere of a hardcore gig more than your usual hip-hop throwdown, with Ivens delivering his sharp-focused dystopian lyrical flow to audiences at point-blank range. Otherwise known as David Coen, Ivens founded Awakenings Crew alongside Hykoo, Nick Sweepah, Chasm, Aux-One, Osinaka and Grizzly Baddums.