CGT

California Guitar Trio -- Punta Patri
California Guitar Trio -- Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Radio sucks. I say that as an ex radio DJ. You probably all know that though, which is why you're here and not listening to hot 97. Every once in a while though, you run across something interesting. I remember first hearing about the California Guitar Trio while listening to NPR at my parents' house many years ago.

The interview with them mentioned that they were students of Robert Fripp (one of my musical gods) and that got my attention. It went on to basically explain that they were three badass guitarists from different countries (US, Belgium, and Japan) and different musical backgrounds (rock, classical, and surf) who met in one of Fripp's advanced guitar classes and decided to play together. They play acoustic instrumentals and use an expanded guitar tuning to get a wider range than normal. They also experiment heavily with "parts circulation" which basically means that each consecutive note of a melody is played by a different guitarist; so the individual parts are unrecognizable but they all come together into something brilliant.

Now, thanks to the miracle of the interweb, I can tell you that I first heard them on September 5th, 1998 precisely. You can even listen to the same All Things Considered interview that got me hooked.

They're on tour and you should go check them out. I, unfortunately, am going to miss them this time around as I'll be out of town when they come through New York (I'm going to be in California, ironically enough). You can buy their albums from their website or through the usual places like amazon and Insound. You can also purchase mp3s for cheaper.