Rick Toone 
“Gorgeous! It resonates complicated realities with warmth. Beautiful framing and light, too.” (Killick Hinds)
“Moved almost to tears. That is great. I heard sadness with joy underneath.” (Ken Kinter)
“Thanks very much guys. This lockdown kind of robbed me of creativity for a while, the gut punch of reality made me turn inward for a bit. I’m trying to channel that into something resembling a slight incline.” (Ede Wright)
Mike Dawes has an electric side that needs to be unleashed. You may think of him as Michael Hedges’ legacy…but that comparison stops when the amps begin to glow.
Nik Mystery is a side project (meaning an official detour from his official acoustic guitar career) into guitar/synth/pop/rock power trio-ness with Jukka Backlund and Spencer Sotelo (of Periphery).
Their latest song is: The Internet (available on Bandcamp). Mike plays his Goshawk™ nicknamed “Beanst” on the guitar tracks. Check out his shred solo…
Killick Hinds performs live with Walrus 6-string guitar at Alfred University on February 24, 2020. Many of his unusual and innovative techniques are on display: playing behind fretting hand, neck contact mic, external friction devices, string damping, combined with foot-controlled software and organic tube amplification via his custom Schroeder.
This was part of a Sound Design seminar on February 24th, 2020 at Alfred University in Alfred, upstate NY. I also have video of my performance with the Ergo bowed instrument and all the class discussion as well. For some reason the video soundtrack features a non-stop hip-hop drum loop instead of what transpired. (This is inexplicable, although I’m going to sample the loop for a new piece.) I had my field recorder running and that’s what you hear on the Walrus section. The Ergo speaker was too close to the field recorder so that sound isn’t usable, and the class discussion is nearly inaudible at times. The good ones always get away!
It was a delight presenting my craft and artist practice experiences with the students and instructors…I learn a ton through such interactions. With the Walrus I was running the humbucker output and a contact mic each through volume pedals and then directly into the computer to occasionally add some 8-bit sounds via MIDI Guitar 2. The guitar sounds and chipsounds were summed to mono and broadcast through amp and speaker. At the beginning I’m using my fretted and fretless wedges—based on Hans Reichel’s dax—and then at the end I’m indeed using a full sized stripper pole. (Killick Hinds)
Chris Buono is a good personal friend as well as one of my best test pilots. For the last decade he has fearlessly played anything I’ve built — often sight unseen…and before a live audience. The only exception I can think of is the Harp Guitar (but we are also in the midst of a pandemic).
With the possible exception of Steve Sjuggerud, Chris has certainly played the greatest range of instruments I’ve built, which makes him uniquely qualified to make comparisons and discuss preferences. If you ever want an objective opinion about my work from a working professional…contact Chris.
I’ve never (ever) asked any of my artists to be exclusive to the guitars I’ve gifted or sold them. I believe in free markets and free association. If an instrument is a good match, it will naturally become an honest favorite. Chris owns a Goshawk™ which seems to appear on a high percentage of his work since it arrived to him.
A good sign.
Chris is a master teacher. Hit him up to take your playing to next level.
Fabio Mittino emailed me from Milan, Italy. He will be performing live on his S2 guitar this afternoon at 2 PM. Fabio is astutely utilizing Eventbrite technology to broadcast live to the world from his home, despite quarantine. See you there…
HOW IT WORKS: RSVP by selecting REGISTER. You will receive an email with a link for the concert. Tune in at the concert time. The artist will provide you information to support them through an online donation via a service like PayPal or Venmo. Donations for house concerts typically range from $10-20, more for ensembles.There is NO PAYWALL.
In this challenging time we’re all going through, we are working to connect people in isolation, support working musicians, but also be sensitive that many people are taking a huge financial hit. This may not be a good time for you to contribute. We still invite you to join us. We’re all in this together.
Fabio Mittino started his musical journey at the age of 13 with classical guitar. Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft expanded those horizons and led to various bands, session work and collaborations with Bert Lams of California Guitar Trio. Precision with delicacy marks his style, Fabio moves effortlessly between acoustic and electric guitars and sensitive to powerful approach to his instruments. He plays original music on electric guitar with his own solo project, “Simple Music For Difficult People” and with Bert Lams of California Guitar Trio, playing the music of Gurdjieff/De Hartmann arranged for guitars.
