The String Revolution & California Guitar Trio
The String Revolution is an innovative and dynamic guitar band that pushes the boundaries of traditional music. Composed of three virtuoso guitarists, they are renowned for their electrifying performances, blending different genres and styles to create a unique and captivating sound. Their intricate melodies, mesmerizing harmonies, and astonishing guitar skills have earned them a dedicated following and critical acclaim worldwide.
The band includes former Randy Rhoads student Janet Robin (named in the “Top 50 Acoustic Guitarist bonus list” by Guitar Player Magazine, 2017), who is also an acclaimed touring guitarist with the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Meredith Brooks, Air Supply and many more, award winning Austrian nylon-string guitarist Markus Illko and Cuban multi-credited guitarist Rober Luis.
They released their first EP “Stringborn” in 2016 to rave reviews and jam-packed local shows. Their next record, “Red Drops” was released in 2019. Both records were mixed and mastered in London by producer/engineer Matt Hyde, known for his production and engineering work with guitarists, Rodrigo y Gabriela as well as engineering and mixing Slipknot’s Grammy nominated albums. The String Revolution’s cover version of “Billie Jean” reached the Top 10 Spotify LA Instrumental Charts and their songs on Spotify have reached over 5 Million plays in total.
The String Revolution's repertoire spans an eclectic range of musical genres, seamlessly blending elements of classical, rock, jazz, and world music. TSR breathes new life into classics, and present original compositions, all infused with their signature style. With their unparalleled technical skill and musicality, they effortlessly navigate complex arrangements, creating a sonic landscape that is both captivating and emotionally charged. They are especially known for re-imagining iconic songs- not only “Billie Jean” but other songs such as “Rocketman,” and “Englishman in New York.”
In 2022, they teamed up with longtime Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens to record a very unique acoustic version of the Ozzy Osbourne & Randy Rhoads classic, “Crazy Train,” including a special animated video. The result garnered quite a good amount of complimentary press and more excitement over the band. That led them to music industry icon, Miles Copeland, who along with biz partner John Bevilacqua became their managers.
In 2023, the band got together to arrange another iconic song. This time it was “Folsom Prison Blues.” They tapped Grammy® winning producer (and Johnny Cash’s son), John Carter Cash to produce the song, which upon hearing the demo and idea to re-imagine his Dad’s song into a guitar instrumental, was excited to be a part of this project. The band then decided to have another special guest again. This time, they teamed up with Grammy® nominated guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel to join in as a featured guitarist on the new arrangement of “Folsom Prison Blues.” The result of this pairing has had the guitar and music community praising the combination of these guitar forces and the detailed production. Mixing was again done by Matthew Hyde and mastering was by Grammy® winner Emerson Mancini in Los Angeles, Ca. The combination of all this creative energy brought The String Revolution their first 2024 Grammy Award® for “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.”
With memorable songs, unique arrangements, and exceptional musicianship, The String Revolution is no doubt a new force in the world of music and guitar performance.
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The universe of guitar knows no boundaries for The California Guitar Trio. Since 1991, the group has enthralled listeners with a singular sound that fearlessly crisscrosses genres. The trio’s questing spirit drives it to explore the intersections between rock, jazz, classical, and world music. It even throws in the occasional surf or spaghetti Western tune for good measure.
Comprised of Bert Lams, Tom Griesgraber and Paul Richards, the group has established a unique, personal connection with audiences. In addition to dazzling musicianship and interplay, The California Guitar Trio’s (CGT) shows are full of captivating stories and humor that enable concertgoers to feel like they’re part of the music, not just spectators. In fact, the group’s g
CGT’s 21 albums, streamed over 115 million times on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, offer diverse snapshots of the group’s mercurial muse. The trio’s latest album “Live In Scottsdale – On Tour With King Crimson” is a recording of the final opening set from the 2021 tour with the legendary King Crimson and features the new CGT 2.0 line up with Tom Griesgraber on Chapman Stick.
CGT most recent release Elegy showcases its acoustic side, with beautiful lush originals and innovative cover arrangements of Beatles, Radiohead and more. Other highlights include Masterworks, an album of classical works, with expansive takes on Bach, Beethoven, Arvo Pärt, and Schubert. Andromeda, which combines their many influences into a visionary album of original material; CG3+2, an exploration of kinetic rock territory in collaboration with bassist Tony Levin and drummer Pat Mastelotto; and Echoes, which re-imagines timeless material by artists such as Mike Oldfield, Penguin Café Orchestra, Pink Floyd, and Queen.
The trio’s output has made a major global impact, having served as the soundtrack for Olympics coverage, and programs on CNN, CBS, NBC, and ESPN. They have fans in high places too: NASA used their music to wake the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.
CGT’s lineup is truly the sum of its distinct parts: A Utah native now residing in Los Angeles, Paul Richards immersed himself in rock, blues, and jazz during his early days and while attending The University of Utah’s jazz guitar program. While on and off the road, Paul enjoys doing landscape photography. Prints of his work, including photos from Robert Fripp and Toyah Wilcox’s English garden are available here. Paul’s Landscape Photography.
Bert Lams, originally from Belgium, graduated from the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, winning awards in classical guitar performance. Bert Lams currently lives with his family in Jupiter Florida.
Tom Griesgraber, the only California native in the group, is from Encinitas. Tom is a virtuoso player of the Chapman Stick, a guitar/bass hybrid tapping instrument invented in California by Emmett Chapman. Tom is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music on Boston.
Tokyo-born Hideyo Moriya began his guitar journey with surf music and British rock, before relocating to Boston to study at Berklee. Hideyo is currently on hiatus from touring and lives in Chiba Japan.
Lams, Richards and Moriya felt the call to push themselves to the limit by enrolling in Robert Fripp’s challenging Guitar Craft courses, where they first met in 1987. They went on to tour together as part of Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists, before forming the California Guitar Trio in Los Angeles four years later.
Recently, the trio expanded its collaborative possibilities by working within a six-guitar format with the Montreal Guitar Trio. During these groundbreaking, highly-entertaining shows, the acts perform inventive arrangements of each other’s repertoire, and new music for guitar sextet. In 2019, this powerful “phenomensemble” released In A Landscape featuring innovative arrangements for six guitars.
31 years and 2000+ gigs later, the CGT remains intensely committed to explore, evolve and communicate a wide-ranging musical worldview. – Anil Prasad
