Toon of Stick Man by Mike Keefe, political cartoonist for the Denver Post
Actually, the band is me...but, I've used drummer/percussionist Ernie Crews on 3 of my CD's, and he is a superb musician and friend. I play 12 tone, 19 tone, and 34 tone basses and guitars, (as well as fretless guitars), but have used John Starrett on bass in the past, who is a great bassist/luthier/mathematician.
Stickman's CD'S
The Gate
Acoustic Stick
Other Worlds
If the Earth was a Woman
Stick Man
Mysterious Female
Way Down by the Mississippi
Stick Man's Guitar Collection
19 Tone
34 Tone
21, 31, 36 Tones
Fretless
12 Tone
Influences
Jeez, there's been many: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Howlin Wolf, BB and Albert King, Crazy Horse, Sabicas, Ray Bradbury, Maurice Ravel, John Coltrane, Ravi Shankar, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, JS Bach, Albert Einstein, Captain Beefheart, Toru Takemitsu, Miles Davis, Lenny Breau, Bruce Lee, Kazuhito Yamashita, Tom Jobim, Igor Stravinsky, Julian Bream, Frank Herbert, Paco de Lucia, Ali Akbar Khan, Jimmy Bryant, Charlie Parker, Claude Debussy, Bela Bartok, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Ives, Genghis Khan, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Frank Zappa, Chet Atkins, Thumbs Carlille, Jon Catler, Wendy Carlos, John McLaughlin, Terje Rypdal, and my personal mentors Ed Toler, George Keith, and Ben Dacascos...plus many more.
Sounds Like
Depends on my mood...if you like progressive rock/jazz, and experimental sounds, anything from King Crimson to Mahavishnu orchestra to ECM, we're in business. But, as well, you're also likely to get a strong taste of blues from time to time, not to mention country, Middle Eastern, Outer Space, or just about any other style imaginable, cause music is unlimited to me.
Neil Haverstick was born on September 22, 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri, and started playing guitar in 1965, being highly moved by the music of the Beatles, Yardbirds, Cream, and the general musical atmosphere of the 1960's. Haverstick is a guitarist, composer, author, and instructor... here's a few essentials for you press folks...
As a guitarist, the Denver Post called him "one of the most sought after session players in town." Haverstick has performed zillions of gigs, such as playing and recording with the Colorado Symphony, including appearances with Judy Collins, Bernadette Peters, Diahann Carroll, Tommy Tune, Ferrante and Teicher, and Bill Conti. He has also played in orchestras backing such artists as Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Charley Pride, and others.With his own bands, he has opened shows for B.B.King, Steve Miller,and King Sunny Ade; he has also backed up blues greats Jim Schwall and Joe Houston. As a freelance guitarist he has played blues, jazz, classical, country, flamenco, and folk, as well as plays (Man of La Mancha, Grease, Always Patsy Cline, The Last Five Years, and A Dream Play, performed at the Cleveland Playhouse, with noted director Pavel Dobrusky) and many private functions. He has also appeared on numerous CD projects by Denver artists, including Clay Kirkland and Mary Stribling.
As a composer, Haverstick won Guitar Player magazine's 1992 Ultimate Guitar Competition (Experimental Division) with a 19 tone piece, "Spider Chimes." He also won the 1996 arts Innovation Award in Denver for another 19 tone song, "Jimmy and Joe," and the 1999 Composition Fellowship from the Colorado Council on the Arts. He has 7 CD's of original music available, "The Gate," "Acoustic Stick," "Other Worlds," "If The Earth Was a Woman", "Stick Man", and "Mysterious Female," featuring music in the 19 and 34 tone systems, as well as fretless guitar, and his latest CD, "Way Down by the Mississippi," which is a tribute to his blues roots. His Microstock festival is in it's 7th year, and he has performed at concerts in New York, Los Angeles, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Den Haag, the Netherlands. His composition "Mysteries" was published in 2007 by Christine Paquelet Edition Arts (www.paquelet-editions.com). Guitar Player mag said of his compositions, "Bold and daring, Haverstick ventures into distant aural galaxies."
As an author, Haverstick has written for Guitar Player and Cadence, and has written two music theory books. "The Form of No Forms" was praised by the late studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who called it "A great book. I am still learning with Neil." Jazz giant Joe Pass said, "I feel this book offers a new insight into not only playing the guitar, but music and how to understand it. A real book." Neil's latest book, "19 Tones:A New Beginning," is a look at the 19 tone system of tuning which Haverstick has been working in since 1989.
As an instructor, Haverstick has taught hundreds of students, both privately and in classes. He has been a guest speaker at Dr. Richard Krantz's Sound and Physics class at Metro State College for many years, and in October, 2004, he taught a seminar on tunings at Berklee College of Music, on the invitation of fusion guitar maestro David Fiuczynski.
Press Quotes-
"Neil Haverstick discovers other worlds of sound within a microtonal universe... he might as well be from another planet." Electronic Musician
"Bold and daring, Haverstick ventures into distant aural galaxies." Guitar Player
"Haverstick is known as a guitar wizard." Denver Post
"Neither Haverstick nor Catler is just dabbling; they put microtones to more savvy uses than a lot of classical composers." Village Voice
"... musicians, critics and listeners see Haverstick as either a masterful contributor of new music or an abrasive and irritating noise that won't go away." Westword
"Like a picaresque hero, he rides classic and original forms of musical expression wherever they take him." Profile on the Arts KRMA, Ch 6 TV
"Formidable fretboard chops and an affinity for the blues." International Musician
"Guitarist Neil haverstick turned his 19-tone electric guitar into a looped orchestra, suggesting a future Top 40 hit from Saturn." Rocky Mountain News
"Haverstick...has been praised by guys like Tommy Tedesco, Joe Pass, and Howard Roberts for his work. After five CDs and two books, you'd think he'd be a household name." 20th Century Guitar mag
Hi Neil! hope you..re fine! listen:I..d need clever questions and maybe many pieces of good advize concerning my event "girls do rock". Could u do that 4 me?
Hey Neil. So great to hear SPIDER CHIMES here. It really shows off your guitar and musical capabilities on so many levels. It's quirky, mean, mysterious and beautiful. It's simply great! Best, Marco
I've just listened to your new songs up here. You are a bloody BRILLIANT musician!!! Winters in Denver must be really cold and dark ... your inspiration and great imagination hence needs to be captured by your playing and songs. African Stick (4get about Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel), Far Away (Just let me drift into somwhere out there) and If Earth was a Woman (Powerful, invasive, my thing) are my favourites.
Neil, I'm diggin' "Way Down.." ..cranked, as I type.
Thanks so much, man. Sorry for the serious lag time. Things have been busy.
The tunes are all flawlessly realized and faithful to the genre(s). "Joe Passed" is my immediate fav. and pretty much a departure from the rest of the CD.
Thanks for the add. I saw the pictures and I must say that your guitars are really wonderful ... congratulations! Good luck and good music ... Gaetano!
Hey Neil, finally got cable internet, so I'm out checking things, dug Blue House and Neela and your two posted vids. Man, love that clean sound on the tune with the vocalist (and everything else I heard). Put up a version of Red House (w/Michelle and BOR). Check it out if you get some time. You may also like Float On Down. I'll be back for more.
Hey, Neil...glad to hear from you! I just did a gig w/Kenny Loggins, so I was a little sidetracked. I'd like to try to hang sometime soon...drop me a note and let me know your availability during the week. Talk to you soon!
Hi, thanks for your message! Speaking of the 11-string alto guitar, here's a video where I play it. The piece, "Skål Khayyam!" is by composer André Chini, videography by Josef Doukkali. take care! Stefan ..
