Douglas Blair: GuitarCross tm, lead and backing vocals, ASIA tm acoustic guitars, synthesizers, studio production, lyrics and music.
Douglas Blair is also the lead guitarist for LA-based hard-shock quartet W.A.S.P. He appears on the 2006 W.A.S.P. release "Dominator" playing lead and slide guitars, and has completed several multi-continent tour with the group. In a constantly-evolving career, Blair's rare collision of playing talent and ingenuity have helped him secure high-profile gigs, while continuously striving to break the boundaries of how music can be made. With his development of the GuitarCrosstm and the ASIAtm concept instruments, he introduces the potential of doubled-stringed guitar-based instruments to the playing world: with signal2noise as the vehicle.
JOHN ANTHONY--DRUMS, PERCUSSION AND VOCALS
John Anthony forged his versatile style in many corners of the country including LA, Burlington VT, New York City, Portland, ME and presently the Boston, MA area. Also a proficient and highly-styled vocalist and lyricist, Anthony's drum and percussion work are world-class and only waiting to be disocovered. Anthony's kenetic ability to create with Blair makes him key to the power duo's success.
Influences
Rush, DMB, Porcupine Tree, Tool, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Charlie Hunter
Douglas Blair, lead guitarist for the LA metal band W.A.S.P., introduces his Boston project signal2noise. Pioneering an innovative new approach to the rock ensemble dubbed the 'power duo,' Blair and drummer John Anthony are creating and honing what Blair cites as an incredible platform for musical improvisation, collaboration and interaction between two brains.
Essential to the project is a new instrument that Blair has designed and developed independently. The GuitarCrosstm is a patented dual-format bass/electric guitar upon which both bass and regular guitar parts are played simultaneously(Blair previously designed and marketed the dual-format Blair Mutant Twintm, an acoustic-electric doubleneck guitar, in the mid-90s). He employs an extensive studio/live set-up which includes a bass rig, twin guitar rigs, a synthesizer pedal set-up and an exclusive dual-format acoustic guitar rig. The complexity and versatility of this super-rig is clearly evident in train-wreck bass lines, Zeppelin-approved guitar riffs and hair-raising Tom Morello-style effects abundant in the duo's dynamic compositions.
Anthony's percussion set-up is equally extensive just as his playing is impressive: traces of Neil Peart mix with Stewart Copeland and Carter Bouford. Both musicians sing and compose, and quite remarkable is the fact that signal2noise records strictly live--sans headphones--excluding vocals and limited overdubs. Asserts Blair, "you can't beat just two cooks in a giant kitchen."
Influenced by the best of rock and progressive power trios, s2n balances personal lyricism with telepathic musicianship and spirited inprovisation, with Anthony often taking a lead role as Blair supports. Their completed debut offering, the 11-song "fighting mental illness," exhibits an understated maturity and wide diversity wrapped tightly around the core power duo sound. Watch for Blair and Anthony to be hitting the road with an intense and arresting live presentation.
visit www.s2nusa.com or call 617.233.4538 for more info
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John Anthony
pictures of Douglas on the 2006 WASP "Dominatour" World Tour
Fantastic show at the Hellfest !! The band was on fire !! We had 1 hour of WASP ! Very good feedbacks here in France. One of the best performances in the whole festival (for many people !) Thanks !
Hi Doug, just stopping by to thank you for the great masterpiece you've done with Dominator, I'd really love to know what's in your mind when playing "Heaven's hung in black", can't stop listening.
Hey Doug!! Hope everything's going well!! I just found out that you're playing in Greece again with W.A.S.P. !! Can't wait to see you guys live for the 3rd time!!
Dougie! I can't believe the career you've had! Ånd to think I knew you when you were a mere baby of 16! So sorry I missed the Run 21 reunion! I'll try to catch you guys soon. Cindy
"Why Blair was never hired to perform with W.A.S.P. on record before now will - after hearing the incredible performance he turns in here - always be a mystery to me. His guitar solos are incredible, combining technical perfection with enough rocking swagger to fit the songs like a glove. Nothing he plays ever sounds like a throwaway fret run, but feels as though it was crafted to fit each song perfectly. Blair has spent the last few years playing in the prog band Signal2noise, and it sounds as though he is enjoying himself immensely playing something a little more traditional, but without ever sacrificing his talent in the process. "
Hey guys. I wanted to thank you for the awesome jams on my last trip up North. You guys get better every time! Look forward to next time. Keep rockin.......
