My influences begin with rock of all types - prog, hard rock, blues rock, metal, pop. It certainly doesn't end there, though. I also love jazz, blues, and soul.
Lately my diet has consisted heavily of instrumental guitar stuff. I've really neglected that whole sub-genre for the last several years and I'm finally catching up now. I'm loving what I'm hearing. Shred is not dead. It has survived nicely, becoming on the whole, much more musical in the last 15 years. I love Steve Vai, Satch, Eric Johnson, etc., but it's great to dig a little deeper and discover amazing players like Guthrie Govan and Andy Timmons. Very inspiring, indeed.
I'm also a sucker for a catchy melody or groove, regardless of what genre label people put on it. I maintain that people just like what they like. Being captivated by a piece of music is not necessarily an intellectual process. It's an intuitive and hopefully emotional one. Duke Ellington said it best, "There are only two kinds of music, good and bad."
Sounds Like
guitar music, but hopefully accessible to most anyone.
I first picked up the guitar at age thirteen, infatuated with the guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. My parents made me buy an acoustic, rather than an electric, thinking my fascination to be short lived. It wasn't. Within a year I'd saved up enough money from my paper route to buy my first electric guitar. I soon progressed to learning the tunes of the day, developing quickly and devouring guitar magazines like candy, soaking up whatever knowledge I coulld. Once into high school, while playing alto and tenor sax in several school bands I settled into a routine of weekly lessons with a good local teacher who helped advance my musicianship by leaps and bounds. Berklee College of Music followed immediately after high school, where I spent a year immersed 24/7 in a terrific atmosphere of musical development.
After returning to L.A. a long string of different projects followed. Several bands and lots of studio work, playing many styles - fusion, prog, funk, metal, blues; even a Rush tribute band. Eventually wearying of being a drop in the ocean of the music scene in L.A., I relocated to Seattle eleven years ago. Since moving to the northwest, I've been immersed in an even more diverse range of styles, both on stage and in the studio. I've been playing a lot of blues, jazz, r&b, contemporary Christian, funk, and soul.
You'll often see me gigging around the Seattle area as a sideman with many different artists. Aside from working on my first solo CD of "guitar music," my most ambitious current project is Nearly Dan, America's preeminent Steely Dan tribute. That band contains some of the finest musicians in Seattle. It's an honor for me to be on the same stage. You will also find me rocking out with some old friends in Bombasticide, playing jazz and worship music at Soteria Church, backing up Todd Carter Koeppen, filling in with Hettel Street Blues, tracking on various studio projects, and who knows what else. One way or the other I'm always gigging around the Seattle area, so keep an eye on my calendar.
Here's a vid of me playing The Cure's "Fascination Street" with Bomasticide. It takes a few minutes to get going, but the last couple minutes of the vid feature me getting to throw it down....
Hello to all my friends! After a long two years, I have finally finished and released my new all Guitar Instrumental Progressive Rock Album called "Mother Earth".
The album is entirely composed, recorded and mixed by me. It contains 11 songs again that are arranged thematically.
You can purchase the CD from my web site http://nalbantov. com through Pay Pal. After a few weeks it will be available
YO Art, long time bro! Whats been going on. Looks like you are rockin! Hope all is well with you bro, me back in wenatchee, just hangin and building a new studio. Have a good one bro, keep rockin,
Hi Art Yes it..s the same guitar :-). So you remeber it hah? Yeah I like that guitar a lot and I..ve had it for a while now. That..s the only electric guitar I have actually and it has served me well! Claes Yngstrom (www. skyhighblues. com) built it for me in 1982. Take care Art. I hope to see you soon!
Hi Art It..s so nice to hear from You. It..s been a long time. Do you remember when You an I played Star Spangled Banner on a basketball game, and when we went playing on a jazz festival in San Diego in 1986. :-) Now I..m back home in Sweden running my motorcycle shop and playing my music. Hope to see You soon. Maybe You can come see me in Daytona in october. I..m going there to work with my friends at No Magic Neon Inc. putting neon lights on motorcycles and have a good time on Daytona Biketoberfest. Your music sounds good! Your buddy, Peter Gunnebro
You know you want to go.This is Once in a lifetime, never going to happen again shit goin on here. Get ahold of us or ANY band for tickets through this here Myspace or call I ROT at 425.647.8865 for tickets. Click on the flyer for club info:
Yo Bro!! Just lettin' ya know I'm still alive and breathing over here. A long and over-due e-mail is coming full of tails from capt'n slappy's laboratory. Love and miss ya bro!
it's about time you hired a pro, i was concerned your skills wouldn't match that of the d300, let alone your d40 ;) i am still so impressed how quickly you picked up the artistic aspect of photography. the technical, that was a given. keep on thinking of us....the power of positive thinking near and far are known to create some serious magic.
