Saw this white-hot guitar virtuoso from Australia at the Living Room last Friday. He was ON FIRE. He is visiting with his keyboard player Paris, who used to live in Taiwan. For those who are fans of guitar playing in the Hendrix/Jeff Beck/Steve Vai tradition, you do not want to miss this show. (I’m almost tempted not to post this, so we can enjoy an intimate show this Friday like we did last week at the Living Room! – but naah, I’m going to do the right thing and let other Forumosans know.)
this guy is a somewhat of a living legend in oz amongst those into guitar wankery. if you are into virtuoso playing than get thee along to his next show.
phils little brother is a better player in my humble opinion.
is this tommy’s brother then?
cos i’ve seen tommy and he’s jaw-droppingly good…
I’d like to go but I’m not awful into geetar wankery – after the first five minutes it loses its luster for me. One of the biggest mistakes of my life in music appreciation was going to see Yingwe Malmsteen. Awful! Just frigging AWFUL!
Well sure, there was a bit of showboating (more in the first half of the show – his playing progressed to louder, harder, more distorted, as the show went on, much to my approval). Most of the chops, though, were in the service of the songs rather than what I’d call pure wankery, and he did searing covers of Jeff Beck’s Since We’ve Ended and a number of blues-rock tunes, with a loud [he jokingly referred in frustration to the underpowered amp he was forced to play through as “this tissue box”] knead-your-brain sick distorted guitar tone that scratches a certain musical itch for me that nothing else quite gets to. (And yes, he’s Tommy’s brother for the poster who asked.)
I was at the show too.
The second hour was much better with the improv/jams he pulled off with the band.
I’m going again to Riverside too, and would recommend it to anyone else as well who likes that sorta thing. He’ll be at the Shannon for a show as well on the 17th.