TA track: 'Bad Luck Go Away' (courtesy of Garsed/Helmerich's Under the Lash of Gravity)

Brett Garsed: Guitar, bass, loops
Virgil Donati - Drums

'"Bad Luck Go Away" was recorded during the Under The Lash Of Gravity sessions. The song title comes from a Russel Hoban book called Riddley Walker which my good mate John Glance turned me onto. TJ Helmerich and I created the loop using guitar sounds that were chewed up by our mutant computer which we then ran through various Eventide H4000 patches. Virgil Donati played drums and I put the bass and guitar down. I used a Fernandez sustainer guitar which I like a lot.'

TA track: 'Mafalda'

Written/Produced by Bumblefoot
©2002 Neanderthal Noise Inc (ASCAP)
Recorded/Mixed at the Hermit Lounge NYC

Bumblefoot - Fretless guitar, vocals
Sanford Oxenbery - Drums
Thorndike Applethorple - Bass, backing vocals
Ray Porrigsworth - Vibes, backing vocals
Arramagong Gayadari - Didgeridoo, backing vocals

ABOUT THE SONG:
'When I was 16, my parents bought a new house. Mom couldn't find paintings that matched the colour of the living room so she found a woman who painted flowers and shit. The painter wanted to do a family portrait, but I hated everything that moved, and wasn't gonna hold a fake smile for 3 hours, so I said no. Her name was Mafalda.'

Cyril Achard was born in 1972 in Marseille, France. He began playing guitar at the age of 12, studying jazz lessons for 7 years. In 1989 he joined members of the famous 70s Prog band Atoll. During this time he completed a year of study at the Jazz school I.M.F.P. In 1992, he won a rock contest, and recorded his first instrumental. He resumed touring in 1994 with famous French harp player Ange Amadei before hard rock band, Quartiers Nord sought him for their new album. That same year, he was hired to instruct at the National Guitar School IBANEZ in Marseille.

In 1997, Cyril released his first solo album, Confusion. It was reviewed by magazines in Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Brazil and its success led to a contact with Godin (guitars) and Peavey (amps). In March 1998, he appeared with Tony MacAlpine, Robin di Magio and Neil Zaza on the Peavey booth at the Frankfurt Music Festival.

Cyril is sponsored by Galli Strings, ART pre-amps, Morley pedals, Peavey guitars and amps and is a permanent teacher in a repected French Music school in Bordeaux: Le CIAM. Cyril's latest album, In Inconstantia Constans, was released in November 2001 by Lion Music and features solos from Tony MacAlpine on three of the songs. 2002 will see him record a fusion CD with his side project, Taboo Vodoo with drummer Mike Terrana.

TA Track: 'Barock':

Guitar: Cyril Achard
Drums: Eric Lebailly
Bass: Franck Hermany

'Here's an acoustic version of "Barock", a song from my first solo CD Confusion. The original keyboard arrangements were replaced by one piano part. The ending is all in 7/8. I like to play salsa rhythm in 7/8 beat. It feels so right with the claves. I used a motif with chords from the original tune.'

David Kilminster won Guitarist Magazine's 'Guitarist of the Year' competition in 1993, started teaching at the Guitar Institute in 1994 and has also written, recorded and transcribed for European magazine Guitar Techniques. In 1996 he released a self financed CD Playing with Fire (recorded entirely on classical guitar with Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith) and for the last couple of years has toured with John Wetton (ex-Asia/King Crimson) and Qango (featuring Carl Palmer from ELP on drums). His playing can be found on various live releases, notably Nomansland (recorded in Poland with the John Wetton band) Sub Rosa (unplugged John Wetton album) and Boys from the Hood (live Qango album).

Most recently Dave co-wrote and recorded a pop album, Cosmogenic with girl singer, Chip and also contributed acoustic and electric guitars (and some vocals) to Ken Hensley's (ex-Uriah Heep) new album Running Blind. He is currently working with Keith Emerson on a very exciting new project.

TA Track 'If the Moon...'
Written by: D. Kilminster and C. Jenkins

'"If the Moon..." was written on the day of the last solar eclipse, an afternoon full of anticipation and wonder. The moment when the sun disappeared behind the moon felt so very lonely, completely desolate, like the end on the world. There was a chill in the air; nothing stirred. I noticed a cat in the garden staring up at where the sun had been, not moving, not even daring to breath. Afterwards I went back to my room and starting playing and this tune is what came out.'

David Martone was born in Ontario, Canada. He has performed live in countless cities in the US, given clinics and taught at Berklee and the National Guitar Workshop, Parker Guitars and Digitech/Johnson amplification. He has written instructional columns for Guitar 9 Records, Guitarapalooza Records, Guitar Chef (Italy) Guitar2001 and Guitar a Bas (Poland) and has performed with no less than Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Marty Friedman (Megadeath), Jon Finn Group, Chester Thompson (Frank Zappa), Greg Bissonet (Joe Satriani) and Mike Portney (Dream Theater).

Martone has released several solo albums including Zone and Martone as well as appearing on the Joe Satriani tribute CD, Crushing Days the Jason Becker tribute Warmth in the Wilderness, Synesthesia, Guitarapalooza Vol I and II and Guitar on the Edge vol. 3. Most of these albums are available at
Guitar 9

TA Track: 'What the Hell!'

(From the upcoming Martone album, available this summer from Guitar 9
Written by Dave Martone and Daniel Adair.
Guitar: Dave Martone
Drums: Daniel Adair
Bass: Dave Spidel
Tablas: Cassius Khan

Drums recorded at Studio 55 North Vancouver Canada Overdubs and Mixing done at BrainWorks Studio, Vancouver Canada

Engineered by Dave Martone at BrainWorks Mastered by Jamie Sitar at Suite Sound Labs, Vancouver Canada

'"What the Hell!" describes the feeling I wanted to conjure up in the listener. Confusion and groove simultaneously. The element of surprise is a great tool for me to use in music!'

Derryl Gabel began playing guitar at the age of 15. His early work was firmly rooted in the Shrapnel style of neo-classical shred. One of his earliest recorded works, 'Victor', was recorded when he was a mere 17 years old.

In 1992, Derryl had the honour of dueling with guitar legend George Lynch on his solo release, Sacred Groove, having been selected out of over 200 guitarists. He next attracted the attention of the (now defunct) Legato Records, and the track 'Blue Fingers' featured on 2 Guitar on the Edge compilations. His debut solo CD will be called Visions & Dreams.

TA Track: 'Tell Me'

'I could have named this one "Tell Me You Love Me". During the process of composing and recording I can get a little zoned out. Sometimes I get a little too focused on my music and my family doesn't appreciate that. I recall telling my daughter "I love you Jess" and she wouldn't respond because she was upset that I wasn't spending enough time with her. Hence the title.

'I recorded this tune back in 99' on a Fostex X-26 four track. I played all the instruments and programmed the drums.'

TA Track: 'Fives'

'"Fives" was recorded on an Apple iBook with a MOTU 828 interface (my first ever computer recording - scary stuff!). The drums are courtesy of Pete Riley (ex-Jan Cyrka, The Phil Hilborne Band, Republica, Erotic Cakes and currently Ken Hensley and Dave Kilminster). Drums were recorded on tape, then flown onto the Mac. Stringed things recorded digitally by yours truly, using a Line6 POD (necessity, not choice!) and a Cornford amp. Instruments used: a PRS Custom 24, a Tokai Strat copy and a Yamaha BB1100S fretless bass.'

Joboj - Everything

Recorded @ Phase 2 Studio, Los Angeles, CA USA
Produced & Engineered by Joboj
Copyright 2001 Joboj Music (ASCAP)

TA Track: 'Screaming Chicken'

Song Synopsis: 'This is what happens when you take too much Nyquil ... Recorded and mixed in four days for Cakewalk's Guitar Tracks Pro/Sonar Software. To be released on the upcoming Joboj CD, X.'

Joy Basu is currently writing material for his 2nd CD and working around LA as a hired gun. Joy's guitar work can be heard on such diverse labels as Bandai Music (Japan), Dolphin Records (Japan), Shrapnel Records (international), Dope and Inner Groove. His self-titled instrumental CD was released in 1996. Joy's music has been licenced by CBS for the promotion of 15 of their TV shows and by MTV for the show Undressed.

Some of Joy's other performance credits include Jennifer Lopez (Sony), CoCo Lee (Sony), and Angie Stone (Arista). Joy has performed on award shows and several TV shows including Soul Train, Tonight Show, CBS Early show, Rosie O'Donnell, even a Disney Concert. For the last 2 years he has been performing with 4 times platinum Sony artist, Jessica Simpson.

Joy has been featured in over 15 magazines including Guitar Player, Guitar (formerly known as Guitar for the Practicing Musician) and Young Guitar. He is endorsed by Seymour Duncan pickups, ESP electric guitars, Godin acoustic guitars, Line 6, Dean Markley, Morley, and Rocktron products, for whom he has performed at music trade shows in the US and Europe. He currently teaches in America's prestigious Musician's Institute and LA Music Academy.

TA Track: 'Phase 4'

'"Phase 4" was inspired by the LA club scene and playing live. During the mid to late nineties I started hanging out at the rave/techno-type clubs. The kick drum would be thumping louder than ever while the filtered keyboards took us to a new reality. I was extremely inspired by this music and everything that went on during these nights. Meanwhile as a player I started breaking into the pop and electronica scene. I figured why not combine modern electronic music with some cool rock/metal licks? It seems to go over great live.'

Inspired by the concert movie Woodstock when he was a child in California, Lyle Workman began emulating the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Alvin Lee, and Pete Townsend, and later was drawn to progressive rock and jazz fusion. In college he became interested in jazz and classical forms, music theory and composition. He joined Bourgeois Tagg, who recorded two albums for Island records and co-wrote the international hit-single,'I Don't Mind at All'. Lyle then recorded and toured as part of Todd Rundgren’s band and recorded his own solo album, Purple Passages, dubbed "possibly the best guitar album of the year" by Guitar Shop Magazine. He then recorded Spilt Milk with Jellyfish, and recorded and toured with Frank Black. In the midst of recording with Frank Black and the Catholics, Jazz great Tony Williams recorded one of Lyle’s pieces for his record Wilderness.

Lyle’s second instrumental project, Tabula Rasa, also received critical acclaim. Most recently he has been playing guitar with pop artist Beck. He also composed the film score for the movie, Made.

TA Track: 'Rising of the Mourning Son' (courtesy of Lyle Workman's Tabula Rasa on Infrared Records).

Lyle Workman: Electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards
Doug Lunn: Bass
Toss Panos: Drums
Dave Ristrim: Pedal Steel
Strings transcribed and conducted by Ed Goldfarb
Mixed by Stan Cotey and Lyle Workman at the Rec Room, Glendale, CA.
Additional engineering by David Denny at Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, CA.
Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman

'I'm fond of epic pieces with movements and recurring themes like those found in classical music and adapted by 70's progressive rock and fusion groups. Within that structure I composed a circular thematic melody that builds with each revolution, and in the final movement, inspired a solo to build in tandem.'

Marc Pattison has been playing guitar for almost 20 years. He listened to a lot of guitar music throughout his childhood which had an impact on his developing style. His influences include Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck and Metallica.

Marc has been downloaded over 500,000 times since the beginning of 1999 on various web sites but his biggest online success has been at mp3.com which said of the guitarist: "We consider Marc Pattison to be one of our premiere artists". So much so that they included his picture and testimonial in an advert that was distributed to over 1,000,000 people nationwide in the Guitar Center's June Buyers Guide/Catalog.

Marc has appeared on KSJO (Northern California's biggest Rock format Station) on the Mikey Show and performed twice to over 2,000,000 listeners all over Northern California. He currently endorses Dean Markley strings, Sabine tuners and Morley pedals, ESP guitars and DiMarzio pickups.

TA Track: 'Crash and Burn'

'My track was inspired by the fast single note rhythms on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums. It wasn't so much a vehicle to solo on as it was an experiment at capturing a vibe. I wanted it to be heavy in spots and dark and moody in others. It was composed and recorded in one night. I mixed and mastered the next day. It was recorded on a Roland 1680 hard disk recorder (I now use the Roland 2480).'

TA Track - 'Valse Diabolique'

Mario Parga: Guitars, bass and drum programming.
David Bristow: Keyboards.
Composed by Mario Parga.
Produced by Mario Parga and David Bristow.
Recorded at Spirit Studios, Oxfordshire.
Engineered by David Bristow.

'The main melody for "Valse Diabolique" was originally written as part of a series of nine solo guitar pieces. The more I played this melody, the more I realised it could have been a full instrumental track, so I slowed it down considerably and added to it to create the piece of music your hear on this CD. "Valse Diabolique" (Devil's Waltz) is a slight departure from what I usually produce, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.'

Milan is a self-taught rock/fusion guitarist from Austria. He studied at the Jazz Conservatory in Vienna and obtained a diploma at the prestigious American Institute of Music in Vienna, Austria where he later became co-head of the Rock Dept.

Milan has jammed and played with artists as diverse as Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), members of Guns'n Roses, Tangerine Dream, Marty Friedman, jazz bassist Steve Bailey and Falco. He is a regular participant at the Frankfurt and Rotterdam music fairs and is frequently hired as a studio guitarist and guitar teacher.

Milan became the first European guitarist to be featured in Guitar for the Praticing Musician magazine by John Stix, and first European guitarist to be featured on Mark Varney's Guitar on the Edge series (Vol. 1 nos. 3 & 4). His CDs include an album with progressive metal band, New World (Changing Times, 1995) and the solo album, Guitar 2001 (1995). He is also responsible for 2 books in the Guitar Heroes series, Real Technique (Universal Edition) and Real Fretboard Harmony (Univeral Edition). His latest engagements include the Falco cybershow and producing a song for Haddaway's latest album with whom he also played a gig in the famous Stars & Bars club in Monaco.

TA Track: 'Sometimes I Still Miss You'
(taken from the, as yet unreleased album, Dreamscapes)

Milan Polak: Acoustic & electric guitars, bass & keyboards
Thomas Lang: Drums

Written, arranged & produced by Milan Polak.
Recorded my Milan Polak at Nice Noize Studio (except drums: recorded at Area 65 A).
Mixed & mastered by Hati Moser & Tom Magyar at Area 65 A

Milan Polak plays Peavey guitars & amps exclusively.

'The performance of this song was a very emotional & expressive experience for me - the guitar is kind of talking to the listener. When the recording was finished, I sat back, listened to it and came up with its title.'