Greg Koch and the Tone Controls

Greg Koch and the Tone Controls - Strat's Got Your Tongue - 1995 - Rockit

“Greg Koch is one of those players with chops to spare. But he’s also got a wonderful sense of humor and despite his talent, doesn’t take himself too seriously. … – great chops, great imagination, and again, his sense of humor. It doesn’t get much better than this.” VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE – John Heidt, editor

“It seems Greg Koch can do the impossible. Not only can he rotate your head in a full Linda Blair 360 with his fi endishguitar chops, but he can also render spot-on imitations of favorite players while managing to assert a powerful artistic identity all his own.” TOM WHEELER – Former editor-in-chief, Guitar Player Magazine and author

Koch is a guitarist's guitarist, a fixture at Namm shows and an official representative of Fender guitars. He's been around forever, and his playing shows it. The man can do anything, in any style, with verve and passion. Imbued with a talent that seems to come from numerous lifetimes of cultivation, it is simply not possible to be this good a player. He is the envy of the best. That being said, this reissue of an early instrumental album is a must-have for all guitar enthusiasts. While it is based squarely in the Blues-Rock idiom, it touches on funk, jazz, fusion, and country -- all executed to perfection. This CD is a passionate tribute to the art of guitar playing, easily appreciated by layman and musician alike. The reason: it is so damn good on every level! The live bonus track is alone worth the price of admission. Get this CD, hear it, and be transformed. You will become a Koch fan: of this, I am certain. © Steve Rosen (Author) (4.12) © 2012 & beyond - Grooveyard Records - All Rights Reserved http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/gregkochstratsgotyourtongue.html

Greg Koch (rhymes with chalk) is quite an extraordinary fellow - Perennial Fender Clinician, Combat Aviator & Guitar Manipulator Extraordinaire; Balladeer of Renown, Mutant Maniacal Musical Savant & Casual Guitar Hero; Existential Comic, Colorful Commentarian & Interdimensional Tour Guide; Roguish Bon Vivant, Stereotype Shatterer & All Around Good Guy - and this list only scratches the surface of the jocular entity whom those of us fortunate enough to be "in the know" fondly refer to as "The Gristle King." Strat's Got Your Tongue is a collection of nine fabulous instrumental slices of Greg's signature virtuosity and frenetic yet refined delivery. Anyone who's seen him live or his veritable encyclopedia of jaw-dropping YouTube performance clips, lessons and clinics knows all too well that his playful commentary and joyfully quirky persona underscores a truly immense and otherworldly talent.. only adding to the mystery of the man, the enigma, the Locus of the Legend of the Godhead of the Gristle! Both wonderfully wacky yet as serious as an hostile alien invasion, Greg paints with a broad brush, not only comfortable in every conceivable musical style, but morphing them together and "genre-busting" all along the way with a signature distinctiveness all his own.. a jack of all trades and master of, well, all of them. It's not hard to imagine that, at a young age, Greg was shanghaied by bodiless fiends and alien tonesmiths from an alternate musical reality.. and not only did he lift a copy of their playbook, but he got away with their hubcaps! A humorous metaphor, yes, but reflective of Greg's easy going, self-effacing nature coupled with his seasoned musical maturity and unique, devastating technique - ALWAYS taking his work seriously but NEVER taking himself too seriously. Even the title Strat's Got Your Tongue oozes his colorful Kochian wordplay consistent with his demeanor. How refreshing, engaging and ultimately human.. always injecting a sense of playfulness into his inspired virtuosic excursions, chuckling, nodding and winking the whole time, inviting you to jump on The Gristle Express to parts unknown and uncharted. While listening, you'll probably utter the phrase "How the hell does he do that?" several times per track. Greg Koch specializes in heart-palpitating high-wire-meets-trapeze fretboard gymnastics.. swinging to and fro with the greatest of ease while maintaining a death-defying balance of the maturest of melodies, impossible rhythm work, alien chord voicings, greasy grooves and advanced degree Ph.D-level single line solo work.. akin to an octopus juggling chain saws. With total command and control of his instrument, he confidently plies the tools of his trade through rich and wonderfully janglicious Fenderific tonalities, smearing his delectable riffage all over the damn place with an unlikely yet astounding marriage of reckless abandon and the pinpoint accuracy of a laser-scoped sniper. Yikes! Greg and his "Licensed to Kill" bandmates (Kevin Mushel [bass], Gary Koehler [drums] and the late, great T. Lavitz [keys]) proceed to rip through a wide range of tunes, each one a master class in tone, feel, chops and groove. The set kicks off with the phantasmagorical fusion of the incredible Foolish Mortals into the ripping jazz-inflected bluesy shuffle of 2.65 followed by the brain-damaging, Les Paulverized The Damn Thing. The minor-inflected Miramanee smoothly mood sculpts its way into your soul, followed by Greg's nitro-fueled hyperdrive chicken pickin' (Spank It) and then strays into Jimmy Bryant-esque "Stratospheric Boogie" territory with Shake Down. Greg gives a reverent tip of the hat to Dickey Betts on the smoking Sure Betts followed by an understated yet powerful version of Stevie Wonder's 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers. Of special note is a live bonus track that rounds out the collection.. Absinthe.. that is so hauntingly gorgeous that it drives you to tears.. the subtle tonal textures Greg employs and the smooth, sophisticated control employed in every aspect of its presentation make this an "essential" listen and a stand-alone masterpiece. Incredible beauty from an incredible artist. There aren't many mortals who possess the chops of the gods, and Greg Koch is one of a small handful of the ascendant masters adept enough to claim the mantle of "Certified Guitar Player" and Strat's Got Your Tongue displays his brilliance in spades. Here is a true artist of the highest caliber.. at the zenith of the musical evolutionary scale.. a butterfly in a world of caterpillars. His musical motto is [or at least should be]: "The difficult done immediately; the impossible done by appointment." © Jimmy Ryan (Truth Squad) (4.12) © 2012 & beyond - Grooveyard Records - All Rights Reserved http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/gregkochstratsgotyourtongue.html

Outstanding instrumental guitar disc by this phenomenal world-renowned guitarist featuring 9 tracks of stellar, sophisticated, blues-based, "old-school" six string mojo of the highest level that defines world-class guitar rock artistry & new levels of musical insanity. "Strat's Got Your Tongue" is a re-mastered Grooveyard Records re-issue disc. A long out of print essential guitar rock classic that includes a deep, profound unreleased Bonus Track. Greg "Gristle King" Koch is a legit true axemaster in every damn sense of the word who is highly respected in the guitar community and endorsed by Fender Guitars. A stellar prolific guitar player's "guitarist" who shreds to the beat of a different drummer
with a vast musical melting pot smorgasbord cacophony of linear guitar god brilliance. If you worship mind-blowing, serious guitar rock mojo, dig deep and smell the gristle. Lets face it, Greg Koch is an insane musical genius and veritable maestro on the guitar who has composed his ultimate instrumental guitar symphony with the mega-awesome "Strats Got Your Tongue" disc. A bad-ass brilliant display of orgasmic six string gristle. © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gregkoch1#

"Strat's Got Your Tongue" is fundamentally a blues rock album, but there are also touches of funk, jazz, fusion, and country throughout the album. On one Greg Koch appreciation forum Greg was described as "stupidly good and criminally overlooked" ! Joe Bonamassa has said that “I believe Greg Koch is pound for pound the best guitar player in the world today. His, tone, feel and style are unrivaled in today’s guitar playing community. He is scary good. It was a true honor to do shows with him.” Greg has often been slagged off nor not taking his music seriously enough! I doubt if Greg gives a rat's arse about music critics. When you can play like him, who gives a flying f**k? The "Greg Koch and Other Bad Men Live! On The Radio" abum is @ GRKO/LOTR Buy Greg's "Double the Gristle" album and support a very underrated blues guitarist [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 96.6 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Spank It
2. 2.65
3. Miramanee
4. The Damn Thing
5. Foolish Mortals
6. Cause We've Ended As Lovers
7. Shakedown
8. Sure Betts

All tracks composed by Greg Koch except Track 6 by Stevie Wonder. N.B: This post does not contain the bonus track "Absinthe" issued on later CD issues, and mentioned in some of the reviews here

BAND

Greg Koch - Guitars
Kevin Mushel - Bass
T Lavitz RIP (Dixie Dregs) - Keyboards
Gary Koehler - Drums
Michael Walls - Percussion & Congas

BIO

An unsung guitar hero from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he grew up just a few miles from the Waukesha birthplace of the late, great guitarist-inventor Les Paul, Greg Koch has established himself within six-string circles as a masterful technician, accomplished clinician (for Fender) and general bad-ass guit-picker. No less than guitar virtuoso Steve Vai noted Koch’s six-string prowess and promptly signed signed him to his Favored Nations label in 2001. Tom Wheeler from Guitar Player magazine hailed him as “fiendishly talented” while other critics have called him everything from “a twisted guitar genius” to “the best kept secret in the guitar firmament.” On From The Attic, his 12th release overall as a leader and third for Germany’s ZYX/Peppercake label, the veteran guitar virtuoso joins bassist Tom Good and drummer Del Bennett for an eclectic, hard-hitting program full of incendiary licks and audacious fretboard tricks. Recorded remarkably quickly (“We did the ten tracks in roughly 11 hours,” Koch explains) in the attic of guitarist-engineer Chris Hanson’s Victorian home on Milwaukee’s East Side, these rockin’, bluesy originals are imbued with Koch’s trademark searing licks and typically clever lyrics. From the blistering, Magic Sam-inspired boogie “Leg Up Foot Out” to the urgent blues inflected “Nova Scotia Cold,” from the elegant fingerstyle instrumental ballad “Sleep Tight” to the wild chicken-picking romp “Picked On,” Koch and his crew wail with uncanny tightness and authority. “Trouble” is a growling funk-blues number written about Koch’s first encounter with his wife-to-be (“Her middle name was trouble, her last name is mine”) while “Agree To Disagree” addresses the guitarist’s ongoing conflict with the staunch point’s of view of loved ones. “Here We Go Again” is a rich, r&b flavored ballad featuring some lyrical, legato guitar work by Koch and the aggressively funky “Happy Versus Right” recalls classic Red Hot Chili Peppers slamming down a thick groove. Koch flaunts some wicked wahwah-inflected slide guitar licks on the mellow “Twice the Man” and they close out the collection with the anthemic, classic rock jam “You’ll Rock and Like It,” which sounds like an encounter between Jeff Beck and AC/DC.” “The whole gist of this record is kind of where I started from in my career,” says Koch of From The Attic. “It’s basically tunes with cool guitar things. And I fi nd that if you can have nice little blasts within the confi nes of a short tune, it’s much more digestible.” And though Koch may be consciously trying to simplify his six-string onslaught on this trio recording, his natural fretboard fusillades ultimately come to the fore. In its 2001 feature story, Guitar Player magazine described Koch’s inherently pyrotechnic approach this way: “An impossible stream of riffs jumps off of Koch’s fretboard like clowns spilling out of a VW bug – and when you’re convinced that there can be no more, out pops another one.” Born in Milwaukee in 1966, Koch got his earliest musical infl uences from his older brother and later became infatuated with Jimi Hendrix, who remains a profound infl uence to this day. After studying jazz guitar for four years at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Koch won 1st Prize in the 1989 Bluesbreaker Guitar Showdown judged by legendary bluesman Buddy Guy. Shortly after, he formed Greg Koch and the Tone Controls, which became one of the more popular acts of the region. The band went on to win fi ve Wisconsin Area Music Awards for Blues Artist of the Year (‘93, ‘95 through ‘98), and Koch personally took in seven WAMA awards as Guitarist of the Year (‘92, ‘94 through ‘99). Koch soon found himself as a clinician for Fender, the world’s largest and most prestigious guitar and amplifi er manufacturer. Bringing together world-class chops and a humorous ability to articulate sounds and techniques with a genuine devotion to all things guitar, Koch has developed an exceptionally effective approach to conducting guitar clinics. Greg’s relationship with music publishing giant, the Hal Leonard Corporation, has also resulted in a string of top-selling guitar method books, including “Guitar Clues: Operation Pentatonic,” “Lead Licks,” “Rhythm Riffs” and Koch’s popular Hal Leonard instructional DVDs – two on the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan (approved by Jimmie Vaughan), one on Lynyrd Skynyrd, another celebrating revered blues stylists like Albert King, Albert Collins, Elmore James and Guitar Slim and one on his own twisted take on guitar called “Guitar Gristle” – have revolutionized video guitar instruction with a combination of humor, effective instruction and inspiring musical performances into a package that can only be described as “edu-tainment.” In his self-penned liner notes to his 2001 recording, The Grip, Koch described his guitaristic approach as “Chet Hendrix meeting the Kings (BB, Albert and Freddie) at the first annual Zeppelin-Holdsworth Coffee Guzzlers Hoedown.” He would subsequently showcase his over-the-top chops and wicked sense of humor on 2003’s Radio Free Gristle, 2004’s 13 x 12, 2005’s 4 Days In the South and 2007’s Live on WMSE, which showcases his fiery fretboard work in the company of bassist Roscoe Beck (longtime sideman to guitarists Robben Ford and Eric Johnson), drummer Tom Brechtlein (a former member of Ford’s Blueline band and a frequent collaborator with Chick Corea) and the charismatic Austin-based soul singer Malford Milligan (formerly the frontman for Storyville and Double Trouble). Last year’s Nation Sack had Koch teaming with Milligan and his current rhythm tandem of Good and Bennett for a collection of Koch originals (including some co-penned with Milligan) along with a cover of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” Koch continues to channel all the right people on his most recent collection of blues, funk and R&B, including Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Albert Collins, Jeff Beck and Roy Buchanan with touches of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Danny Gatton and Richie Blackmore thrown in for good measure. And he fi lters all those killer infl uences through his own slightly bent prism that is tinted with grunge, gristle and good clean fun. © BILL MILKOWSKI © http://gregkoch.com/wordpress/?page_id=79