In Chronological order
KISS,Led Zeppelin,Aerosmith,Lynyrd Skynrd,Outlaws,Molly Hatchet,The Beatles,ELP,Yes
Everything changed when I bought Judas Priest's "Hell Bent for Leather",This was my kind of music so I started listening to bands like:
Iron Maiden(Early)Def Leppard,Triumph,UFO,Michael Schenker Group,(David Lee Roth era)Van Halen,Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads,Jake E Lee,Brad Gillis and Zakk Wylde,Tygers of Pan Tang,Accept,Angelwitch,A to Z,Y and T
Id like to note I never was into learning other guitarists music, a whole lot
Around 10-12th grade I had a band that played covers by all of our favorite bands,but soon after I started writing originals and thats been my focus ever since!!
My biggest accomplishments back then was learning some Michael Schenker/UFO stuff and "Mr Crowley",featuring the late,great Randy Rhoads
Ive never learned any Yngwie,Satch or Vai stuff
I just listen to what they are doing as I never want to sound like a carbon copy Shredder
Everything changed again when I heard Al DiMeola,thats the fastest Id ever heard anybody play guitar and that kind of playing attracted me immediately
Around this time period,I started listening to and trying to emulate Classical Music(Bach,Mozart,Paganini,Beethoven and Hayden)
Then,I heard Steeler,with Yngwie Malmsteen fo the first time...OMG,I was floored,This guy was better than everybody else out there and he sounded exactly like I wanted to sound!!!
He became a HUGE influence on my playing(but I sound nothing like Yngwie)
Later influences or just guys/bands I like their guitar playing and music are:Doug Doppler,Michael Angelo Batio
Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Tony MacAlpine,Chris Poland,Paul Gilbert,Buckethead,Marty Friedman,Metallica,Megadeth,Destruction,Pantera,Testament,Exodus,Sacred Reich,Damage Plan,Godsmack(older),Disturbed,(older)Mudvayne,Sevendust,Fight,Lords of Acid,The Crystal Method,KMFDM,Die Krupps,Static-X,Circle of Dust
Michael Lee Ostrander
Origin-Born in Jersey City,NJ and raised in Cresskill,NJ until age 16
Location-Albuquerque,NM
Style-Metal and Blues/Rock Rhythms,Synths meets Techno,Metal and Rock beats combined with Shredding/Melodic solos
Endorsed by DEAN guitars,DAVA picks and DIMARZIO pickups
Ive been described as Joe Satriani on Acid by 1 fanzine author
Andy Timmons was quoted as saying when he took the stage after my set at Grandmas Music and Sound Sept of 2006 "Wow,Maybe I should take lessons from that guy" That meant alot coming from a player of his caliber
Andy was a super cool guy,very dow to earth and Im honored to have shared the stage with him!!
I am an accomplished Guitarist with 25 years of Metal/Shred/Industrial/Rock Band,Studio and Live Performance experience
I have won 2 Guitar competitions in Albuquerque in 1989 and 1993 and 3 New Mexico Music Industry Coalition Awards in 1995,1998 and 1999,two of which were for songs from my first Instrumental CD...the other being from the band ENFORCER which I was a member of from 1987-1995
I have also had my song "Digital Web" from the "Tomb" CD featured on Guitar 2001's Compilation CD entitled "Lick This" that also featured the likes of RUSTY COOLEY and TERRY SYREK
Ive opened Live as a One-Man Band for GREAT WHITE(1995)and ANDY TIMMONS(Sept 2006)
I have 2 Instrumental CD's available for listen/download on my Official website www.theunknownshredder.com and 5 tracks here on MySpace from my upcoming CD "I Shred Therefore I Am" as well as some Shredding videos on You Tube
"Tomb of the Unknown Shredder" which I released 500 copies of in 1998,garnered over 6000 plays on mp3.com and some great reviews in the underground fanzine network
You can purchase "Tomb" for .99 a song right here on MySpace
I was also featured in"The Undiscovered" column on GuitarNine.com and for the month of May 2008 they ran the feature again as "The Rediscovered" with the original reviews
I am recording a new CD currently which is slated for a late Summer 2008 release
I have played in various Metal bands since arriving in Albuquerque at 16 and have contributed guitar work to DATUM NOIR and some guitar and screaming/growling vocals for DIVERJE Both of those were Industrial/Metal projects in the late 90's
My last band SYSTEMIC formed in 2000 was very popular in the Albuquerque Metal scene and regionally but ended up disbanding in 2004,but not before releasing 2 CD's which sold 2000 copies+ locally and internationally,received over 10,000 plays on mp3.com,played many Live shows in New Mexico, LA,Scottsdale,El Paso,Denver and New Orleans,The band also had an MTV style video made by drummer Mike C. as the kick-off video on Heavycore's Nationally released DVD "Roasting Posers"
SYSTEMIC also opened for DROWNING POOL,MOTORHEAD,ADEMA,AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE,ULI JON ROTH,MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP and BLUES SARACENOS TRANSMISSION OK
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Right on brother MLO fuck gold hardware and the people that choose it, not really, ha ha ha ha ha, dude gold is gross even on cars ha ha ha boooooooo!, we do need to do a show together that would be freakin sick bro.
ha ha ha sorry bro, i thought it was gold dude sorry, i was like i know mlo didnt start going for the gold, dude i hate gold hardware to man good job on the endorsement man