Sorry I have fallen behind on posts. Big doings in the Guitar Moderne household. Great new recordings have been rushing in, so here is a long one to catch up. The usual suspects are here in unusual collaborations (Eivind Aarset, Bill Frisell), as well as undersung masters like Matt Stevens, Brandon Seabrook and others.
Though this video has been continuously available in segments on YouTube for years. It is now possible to watch the whole thing continuously. Thanks to Neuguitars for the heads up. Between Covid and Westerhus’ focus on singing through electronics without guitar, there has been precious little new live video. As a bonus I include some of that here.
FutureFret: Episode One is the first event in what Vernon Reid and Chris Buono hope to be an ongoing series. The event is this Saturday, May 14th, 2022 and will include a collective of panel discussions, masterclasses and live performances centered around forward-thinking concepts for the modern guitarist. Here is my interview with Vernon about the idea, its possibilities and many other things. Below that is an introductory video and the details.
The 2022 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition started with 26 semifinalists from 16 different countries. After an online showcase of the semifinalists, a committee of Georgia Tech faculty and public voting decided which creators would compete at the final stage. Nine advanced to the competition’s final round. They met on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 11 and 12, 2022, to compete for $10,000 in prizes. While none of these won, they do indicate some possible future directions for making music with guitar skills.
It is getting hard to keep up with all the terrific new releases. Modern guitar continues to make inroads in places as far-flung as Argentina, Switzerland, and Tasmania. The pandemic has resulted in works that are largely solo or remote collaborations, but no less successful than the in person collabs.
