Brett Garsed

Brett Garsed - Dark Matter - 2011 - Brett Garsed

To many Brett Garsed may be best known as the guitarist who recorded with the hugely successful Australian singer John Farnham, or as guitarist on the Nelson album After The Rain which spawned the huge hit (I Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection, or even as a sideman on the most recent Paul Stanley (Kiss) solo tour. However for this hugely talented Aussie six string supremo that is only a small part of the story, with appearances on albums by Derek Sherinian (Dream TheaterBlack Country Communion), as well as being part Uncle Moe's Space Ranch and releasing a 2002 solo album Big Sky. Recruiting the help of Ric Fierabracci on bass, Phil Turcio on bass and Gerry Pantzis on drums, Garsed has finally followed up Big Sky with his second solo release Dark Matter which sees the highly respected fret-master covering a wide variety of styles and approaches with ease and skill. Opening with the album's title track, a song which finds drummer extraordinaire Virgil Donati, who's discography is too long to even consider listing, sitting in on the kit, Garsed covers just about every base right from the off. Bluesy, jazz infused and containing a finger blistering piece of shredding, Dark Matter sets this album's stall out in an uncompromising and impressive manner. Not an album likely to convert non guitar instrumental fans, Dark Matter is for someone who has albums by the likes of Frank Gambale, Andy Timmons, Greg Howe or indeed Joe Satriani a complete delight, with full on shredding sitting comfortably alongside some incredibly emotional blues, fusion, or almost prog metal. This makes for an album that not only impresses through the dextrous musicianship on show, but also through the construction and delivery of the actual songs themselves. Lesser guitarists couldn't deliver the poise or precision to make the airy If Only as moving as it is. James Bong (License To Chill) does exactly what it says on the tin, with Garsed's guitar and Turcio's keyboards sharing top billing on a song that oozes class and restraint, whereas Android rocks things up with an insistent beat which cleverly knows when to sit back and when to drive the song on at full pelt. Crammed with jaw dropping six string work and top notch performances from all the other musicians involved, Dark Matter is one of those rare things, a guitar instrumental album which contains cracking songs from start to finish, nor does it lack for not having a vocalist in any shape or form. On the strength of this release, Garsed deserves to be up there with the Vai's, Timmons' and Satch's of this world. Reviewed by & © Steven Reid, November 11th 2011 Score © 2004 Sea Of Tranquility httpwww.seaoftranquility.orgreviews.phpop=showcontent&id=11610

A brilliant fusion tinged instrumental blues/rock album with some great melodies which is totally absorbing and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Australian guitarist Brett Garsed may not be a household name, but he is up there with axemen like Greg Howe, and Guthrie Govan. Listen to The Mark Varney Project’s “Centrifugal Funk” album where Brett unleashes some insane but brilliant guitar licks. Read an interview with Brett @ http://www.alloutguitar.com/interviews/brett-garsed-interview-liquid-virtuosity and check out his “Big Sky” album on this blog [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 140 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Dark Matter 701
2 Android 546
3 If Only 544
4 Avoid The Void 626
5 James Bong (License To Chill) 803
6 Closure 553
7 Poison Dwarf 553
8 Be Here Now 449
9 Enigma 1044

All tracks composed by Brett Garsed

MUSICIANS

Brett Garsed - Guitar
Ric Fierabracci - Bass, Bass Solo on Enigma
Craig Newman - Bass on Enigma
Phil Turcio - Keyboards
Gerry Pantazis - Drums
Virgil Donati - Drums on Dark Matter

BIO (WIKI)

Brett Edward Garsed (born April 20, 1963) is an Australian musician, best known for his work as a guitarist with John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich, as well as being a former member of the American band Nelson. Garsed was featured on Derek Sherinian's solo records Planet X (1999) and Planet X's Quantum (2007), and more recently Sherinian's Molecular Heinosity (2010). Garsed was born in rural Victoria, Australia and began playing guitar at age 12 after hearing Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore play "Speed King". After about a month of initial lessons, he continued to teach himself and formed a band composed of his two cousins and a mutual friend and began playing live. In July 1985, Brett was featured in Guitar Player magazine’s “Spotlight” column, which was devoted to exposing new talent to the rest of the world. This encouraged Brett to give up his job as a licensed plumber and pursue a career as a professional musician, prompting him to send demo tapes to as many record companies and management companies as he could find. “I wasn’t looking for a record deal. I just wanted to get into a good band.” One of the tapes was heard by Ross Fraser of the Wheatley Organization, which led to an audition for a short tour by Australian superstar John Farnham. Farnham, at this time still a member of the Little River Band, was planning a solo album and invited him to be a part of the project. The resulting album, Whispering Jack, went on to become the biggest selling album in Australian history, followed by sellout tours of Australia and Europe. Garsed continued to tour and record with Farnham until early 1989, when he was invited to the US to audition for Nelson, a band led by Gunnar and Matthew, sons of the late Ricky Nelson. The audition was a success and the resulting album, After the Rain, went on to sell in excess of three million copies and yielded a national No. 1 ('Love and Affection') as well as two Top Ten follow-up singles. In early 1990 Brett also recorded Centrifugal Funk for Mike Varney's label Legato Records, an intense guitar album featuring Frank Gambale and Shawn Lane. For most of 1991 Garsed toured the US with Nelson, and spent ‘92 recording Quid Pro Quo with Chicago-born guitarist T J Helmerich after the duo decided to sign to Varney’s label. With Nelson on a seemingly permanent hiatus, Brett and TJ pursued their career promoting Quid Pro Quo, which featured Bobby Rock on drums, Gary Willis on bass and Paul Mirkovich on keys. Greeted with critical acclaim worldwide, the pair recorded the follow-up album Exempt in 1993. In 1996 Bobby Rock released Out Of Body, a progressive rock album featuring Brett on guitar. In 1994 Garsed also filmed an instructional video for REH/Warner titled Rock Fusion which covers, in detail, his unique approach to guitar improvisation. Garsed’s most recent recording projects include the Uncle Moe’s Space Ranch album featuring TJ Helmerich, Gary Willis, Dennis Chambers and Scott Kinsey, the Tapestry album which was released under the band name Mojo and features Ric Fierabracci on bass and Kofi Baker, son of Ginger Baker on drums, and more recently his debut solo album Big Sky with Fierabracci returning for bass and production duties and Toss Panos behind the drums. Brett returned to Australia after 14 years in Los Angeles and completed the seven-month-long “Last Time” tour with John Farnham. His first solo album, Big Sky, was released in 2002. After nearly a decade, he followed this up with Dark Matter in 2011. In 2004, Rock Guitar Improvisation, his second instructional DVD was released covering many aspects of his technique. This DVD also included some live footage. In 2011, Brett is currently taking part in the John Farnham "Whispering Jack - 25th Anniversary" tour around Australia, revisiting the parts he created on Australia's highest selling locally made album. Garsed also released his solo album Dark Matter in 2011. Garsed is mainly an improviser guitarist, renowned for his legato and hybrid picking technique, a combination that provides him with an extremely fluid sound to his playing. He has also mastered a distinctive slide guitar sound, specially noticeable in his latest releases. Rather than relying on scale patterns and figures, he's stated to play with a relative pitch approach, that allows him to play the melodies in his mind. A fundamental component of his music is the use of wide intervals and chromatic passing tones. His early influences were Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour and Jimi Hendrix. This later expanded to more diverse styles such as Leo Kottke, Allan Holdsworth, Rory Gallagher, Scott Henderson, and Edward Van Halen.