MUSIC (In no particular order): Radiohead, Elliot Smith, The Mountain Goats, Leonard Cohen, The Flaming Lips, Brian Eno, The Talking Heads, The Bad Plus, The Beatles, David Bowie, John Coltrane, Hank Williams, Tin Hat Trio, Rufus Wainwright, Tom Waits, Pere Ubu, The Residents, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson, Billie Holdiay, Miles Davis, Bela Bartok, Shostakovich, Ravel & Debussy (string quartets), Charlie Parker, Brad Mehldau, Frank Sinatra, Annuals, Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut, Johnny Cash, Nick Drake, A Perfect Circle, Tool, Beck, Bjork, Bob Marley, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Clinic, The Cure, Deerhoof, Django Reinhardt, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, Fiona Apple, Golden Gate Quartet, James Brown, Public Enemy, Mystikal, Led Zeppelin, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Madeleine Peyroux, Muddy Waters, Nat King Cole, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Wilco, XTC, etc.
OTHER: 50's/60's design, Film Noir, black comedies, Zen philosophy, photography, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, good books, Indian food, nature, and more.
I'm originally from Tampa, Florida. My father was a mob lawyer (but most of his clients were just regular murderers). I played Kiss and Black Sabbath covers at my 8th grade carnival, until a priest told us to stop because we were drowning out the merry-go-round music. I attended the University of Florida for 2 years and graduated from The Southwest Guitar Conservatory in San Antonio Texas and Berklee College of Music in Boston.
I'm a co-founder of and the guitarist/secondary songwriter in Count Zero; best known for emerging from former band Think Tree (biggest single: "Hire a Bird", toured Europe twice, won many awards and opened for Nine Inch Nails and The Pixies). Count Zero toured North America with The Dresden Dolls in 2004. We have songs on Guitar Hero 1 ("Sail Your Ship By") & 2 ("Radium Eyes"), and a downloadable song for RockBand ("Shake").
I also play guitar/keyboard/ samples and occasionally sing in Elk ("We Won't Remember Anything" is on this page), a spontaneous song collective (i.e. we make things up as we play and try to make it cohesive and enjoyable for the listener) with members of Count Zero and others. I've written music for modern dance and animation and I'm currently working on quirky rock and modern chamber music. I am also a graphic designer and a photographer. You can check out more of my creations at www.willragano.com and read a review of my solo sounds here: propculture
Cool thanks, dont wanna sound like a obsessive fan but man, I love your band CZ, you've become like my idols. I feel all cool and indie, being the only one commenting on their page HAHAHA. Cheers, -Jacob Nelson(your official australian fan!)
Hey man, I wanted to ask a question about my guitar playing. I've noticed that whenever I sit down to play, I find myself playing the same exact style over and over, and I can't seem to get out of it. I'm kind of stuck in a rut. Any suggestions?
Hey man, I've got a photo album on here that has pictures of my favorite guitarists in it, and I was wondering if you'd mind if I used one of your pics. Thanks! -Conner
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