Bach, Scarlatti, Rameau, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, Radiohead, Coldplay, The National, Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, The Ventures, Ratatat, Daft Punk, Runaway Dorothy, Benjamin Verdery, Dominic Frasca, LAGQ, Assad Duo, Gray/Pearl Duo, Frederic Hand, Mark Mazzatenta, Julian Bream, Kevin R. Gallagher, Kazuhito Yamashita, Leo Kottke, Glenn Gould, Leon Fleisher, Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline Du Pre, Itzhak Perlman
FOR MORE VIDEOS SEARCH FOR THREEFIFTY DUO ON YOUTUBE
It's easy to continue describing Threefifty Duo as a "classical guitar duo with a rock edge," as musicians Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick seamlessly weave their contemporary rock sensibilities into the rich texture of classical guitar. But after years of writing and performing together and with a second album under Threefifty's belt, the duo’s stylistic tendencies have expanded beyond their initial categorization, with genre blurred by an intensely personal sound.
Their debut album marked the duo as innovators in classical guitar programming, moving effortlessly between the compositions of their classical heroes, contemporary counterparts, and their own creations. While the album captured the verve and enthusiasm of a well-practiced and polished duo, it is Threefifty's sophomore effort, Circles, that presents the listener with a volume of all original compositions and a full emergence of the duo’s distinctive voice, highlighted by Dominic Frasca’s sumptuous production.
The result is a realization of a lifetime of experiences, both personal and professional. Formed in the halls of The Yale School of Music, taught by renowned classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of their hometown New York City, Threefifty has gone on to play in many respected venues and festivals, such as The 92nd Street Y, Southpaw, Pianos, The New York Guitar Festival, The Monkey, Bennington College, Connecticut Guitar Society, and a recent run of shows at California State University at Long Beach where choreography was set to their music. This past December Threefifty Duo set off for Bosnia and Herzegovina where they played a nationally televised concert organized by The America-Bosnia Cultural Foundation in Sarajevo’s celebrated Dom Armije, with a member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in attendance.
These experiences, along with the guidance of producer Dominic Frasca's intensely creative and passionate hand, mark Circles as the next level of Threefifty's evolution. The songs span a full spectrum of colors: the emphatic strokes of Victory Drill descend into a dark reprieve midway, only to reemerge back into exuberance, with its catchy refrain of a driving, lively chord progression and melody. Zane Dancing relies on a staccato, rhythmic relentlessness, representative of Threefifty's energetic fervor. The album possesses a humble confidence, an electric and contagious appreciation for beautiful imperfections, and a true and deep admiration for all things musical.
Press:
"Guitarists Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick enjoy a reputation for eclectic programming and... it's richly deserved. Traditionalists will admire their skillful way with Bach, Handel and Brahms, while new-music mavens will find just as much to love in... [their] own deftly crafted compositions, which mix chamber-music decorum with a pop-honed spirit."
-- Steve Smith, Time Out New York
"first-rate performance... strong pulse, hooky melodic lines and excellent playing... beautiful... constantly keep[s] the listener engaged" -- TAXI
“Threefifty Duo is about to blow your mind with their classical guitar playing. These two Yale graduates decided to team up and take on the world of music with a fury. Proven to be able to keep any crowd entertained, they even have a rendition of "Music from the Mushroom Kingdom" a tribute to any fan of early Nintendo, which is absolutely amazing. Fast fingers and a keen evolution between classical and rock playing is what impresses me the most. A wickedly talented duo, they are sure to impress everyone. Good music you could listen to or watch for hours.”
- CD Review
”terrific...bad to the bone...” - The New Haven Independent
"Unmistakably classical-sounding and unmistakably rocking. The end result... is not a rejection of the classical guitar repertoire, but an evolution... Their background in classical guitar is evident, and the playing is quite lyrical at times. But it also beats with a rock pulse, strums hard and takes listeners on epic dramatic journeys, taking classical guitar out of its pleasant surroundings and into the mosh pit." -- Jon Potter, The Brattleboro Reformer
“the coolest thing just this side of full circle” – You is Awesome
“On their debut CD, the Yale graduates- who call themselves threefifty duo- express their passion with a variety of music ranging from Bach to Verdery to Coldplay to their own compositions….. *****!” – Urban Guitar
“… a savory sample of musical delicacy!” - The Indie Review
BOTH OF THREEFIFTY DUO'S CDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES AND THROUGH WWW.THREEFIFTYDUO.COM
Thanks to Emily I will be performing the Brouwer Etudes Jan 20th in Manhattan she just has to put me on the spot ..heard she is going to have some guest guitarists from Yale come and jam with us at our open mic .....talk about pressue .....I am listening to Sergio and Odair Assad play Piazzoll's Tango Suite while I am finishing up my ten page final paper on JS Bach .......Cant wait for Florida at the end of the month I could use the sun and sand right about now lol......
Bret ..You and Geremy Where amazing tonight , I am glad we got to bump into each other . Thanks for the good advice you gave me I should try it and see if i can get on my professor's better side I cant fail my guitar elective course ...Sorry I left so early I have class tommrow morning so I have to do some last miniute study
lol.....listening to the CD as we speak ...wondering if you guys have any sheet music published for Zane dancing I would love to play it. I have a bit of my own guitar duo brewing ...as of right now its very unofficial as I still am not able to get in contact with my partner Andrew ...he is very swamped with work as of late and he hasnt been answering my emails .....Our scheduals are very hectic right now but we get togehter and jam when we can hopefully we can make this a permanent thing ...I am suprised you recognized me .but then again how many classical guitarists do you know of .that has insaine red hair like I do .
(Tiffany )===:::
PS: The tatoo on your right arm is that the real deal ???
Bret, Was that you walking in the green shirt on 2nd and 28th street last week ?. what where you doing in my neck of the woods ????, You probably didnt recognize me as I had very short hair with a ton of pink in it and I was walking with my grandmother lol.. I wanted to say hi but I wasn't sure if it was you or not .Just thought I would stop by and leave some good vibes ....
OMG you guys are so hilarious I just read your magazine interviews. Bret I am just like you I have these one pair of boots that I totally wore out to the bone I had to get them fixed numerous times and they where still are scuffed and raggedy looking. My mom threw em out because the lining on the inside got totally trashed and the heel was totally gone ...But I miss those boots I will never have another pair like them ever again.
Pogo in Togo hosts a party at the Cakeshop tonight! Love Like Deloreans joins the bill with some amazing bands including The Magick Report, Willy Weird, Omega Jarden, and a very special guest who's name starts with an A and ends with a K. hmmmm...
So come and get wet with LLD, because Tuesday night is the night to party hard!
HAHA awww I need some of your amazing food...cuz my cookin here is not cuttin it....plus I am CRAVING that awesome milkshake from Red Bamboo! Hope all is well!
Hey Geremy its steve, long time no see, i was on youtube and I ran into a video of you 2 guys playing electric guitars, that was pretty crazy, it sounded great, whens your next show in NYC, maybe ill get some people from brookyln colleges conservatory to go see you guys