Daryl Stuermer

Daryl Stuermer - GO! - 2007 - Inside Out Music

While in the past Stuermer has explored contemporary jazz and combined ‘lighter’ pieces with mid-tempo rock dominated by nylon string guitar, “Go” sees him completely dedicated to a rockier electric guitar sound. The songs are still very melodic but are more riff oriented and offer an edgy ‘live’ sound this time out. “I always let my current feelings slip into my compositions”, explains Stuermer. “On each album I have a certain point-of-view and I carry with it particular sounds and a specific mood. On ‘Go’ I let things ‘roll’ a little bit more than in the past, as I wanted to reach new shores. There are similar approaches on my earlier releases too, but never so much as with this one. My motto is, ‘On your marks, get set, go!’ and then with full power out of the speakers! There are only two ballads on ‘Go’ but even they are seething with an underlying energy”. Stuermer’s words sum up the music extremely well. If we were to elaborate further, one can say that listeners could expect virtuoso instrumental guitar music that has elements of both Al Di Meola and Allan Holdsworth. The album has a fun vibe to it with plenty of striking hook lines, energetic riffs, catchy melodies and fluid guitar solos. Sometimes it leans more towards jazz (‘Striker’) and other times there are stronger elements of prog (‘Urbanista’), and Stuermer is also quite proud to showcase the influences he has gained from his time with Collins & Co. on ‘Heavy Heart’, a track with a melancholy feel that also recalls Dire Straits. There is also a multi-cultural element to be found on ‘Go’ with Caribbean rhythms or melodies from the Far East as evidenced on ‘Masala Mantra’. “Masala is the name given to various spice mixtures that are used to make Indian curries. I have always liked Far Eastern music – not to mention Indian cuisine, especially Chicken Tikka Masala”, he continues while explaining the ethnic touches in his music picked up from his numerous journeys around the world. © 2014 by Inside Out Music - All Rights Reserved http://www.insideoutmusic.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=410

When Daryl Stuermer was asked in an interview "What are the biggest challenges you face during your creative process?", he replied "The biggest one is that I want to avoid making a guitar player’s record. I want to be listened to by guitar players in addition to everyone else. The problem with some albums I hear by guitar players is they tend to be all about the fastest riff or the fanciest kind of thing they can do, as opposed to being about the song. I want the song to be interesting first and then I want the guitar parts on top of that to be energetic and expressive. I don’t want the guitar work to just be based on a clever riff. It has to be musical to me. There are excellent guitarists out there that I like but I’m not as interested in their music as I am in their guitar playing. I want to have both ends of the spectrum represented. I think guys like Eric Johnson do it right in that his songs are really good and he has great playing on top of them. I admire that kind of record". Daryl is arguably a more proficient guitarist than Mike Rutherford, but his guitar abilities have always been restricted and stifled within the framework of Genesis' music. This is understandable as Daryl has always been more a touring member of Genesis and has not been directly involved in the compositional and recording process of Genesis' music. Daryl is a very underrated guitarist, and this album although not as fusion based as some of his other work, is nevertheless an album of great melodies, grooves and terrific guitar playing that may not be supersonically charged but doesn’t need to be. Listen to Daryls "Live and Learn", "Steppin' Out" and "Retrofit" albums. Additionally, Daryl has guested on a variety of other artists' recordings, including Frida's "I Know There's Something Going On", and Joan Armatrading's "The Key", as well as solo releases by other Genesis members including Mike Rutherford's "Acting Very Strange", and Tony Banks' "The Fugitive" and "Still" [Tracks @ 262-290 Kbps: File size = 94.1 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Striker 4:51
2. Masala Mantra 4:08
3. Greenlight 3:58
4. Dream In Blue 5:40
5. Breaking Point 4:24
6. Urbanista 6:31
7. Heavy Heart 5:17
8. Meltdown 4:33
9. The Archer 4:22
10. Omnibus 3:39

All tracks composed by Daryl Stuermer

MUSICIANS

Daryl Stuermer - Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion Programming
Leland Sklar - Bass on Tracks 1,2,3,4,5,7
Eric Hervey - Bass on Tracks 6,8,9,10
Kostia - Keyboards
John Calarco - Drums

BIO

Guitarist Daryl Stuermer has played on some of the biggest hits of Genesis' and Phil Collins' careers, in addition to releasing several solo albums on his own. Born on November 27, 1952, Stuermer grew up in Milwaukee, WI, and took up the guitar at the age of 11. The usual '60s suspects served as initial inspiration (the Beatles, the Ventures, etc.), beforeStuermer began studying jazz guitar (via Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass), and eventually, such groundbreaking rock guitarists as Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin. During the early to mid-'70s, Stuermer was a member of local Milwaukee band, Sweetbottom, who made a fan out of Frank Zappa's then-keyboardist, George Duke. It was through Duke that an audition was set up for Stuermer to try out for acclaimed jazz violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty, which resulted in the guitarist appearing on such albums as 1975's Aurora, 1976's Imaginary Voyage, and 1977's Enigmatic Ocean, and its supporting tours. By the end of 1977, British prog rockers Genesis began holding auditions for a guitarist to take the spot of longtime member Steve Hackett, and Stuermer wound up landing the gig. For nearly the next 20 years, Stuermer would serve asGenesis' touring guitarist -- but never appeared on any of their studio recordings, just the live sets Three Sides Live (1983) and The Way We Walk (1992). But when Genesis drummer/singer Phil Collins launched a solo career during the early '80s, Stuermer became an integral member of Collins' solo band. Stuermer's versatile guitar work can be heard on nearly all of Collins' subsequent albums (all of which were major hits) -- 1981's Face Value, 1983's Hello, I Must Be Going!, 1985's No Jacket Required, 1990sBut Seriously, and 1996's Dance into the Light. Stuermer also earned several co-songwriting credits for tunes that appeared on Collins' solo albums, including "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven," "I Don't Wanna Know," "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore," and "Only You Know and I Know." As if his schedule wasn't busy enough, Stuermer also somehow found the way to issue solo albums (albeit on a sporadic basis), including 1987's Steppin' Out, 1998's Live & Learn, 2000's Another Side of Genesis, and 2001's limited-edition release, Waiting in the Wings, and even launched his own independent record label, Urban Island Music, in 1998. Additionally, Stuermer has guested on a variety of other artists' recordings, including Philip Bailey's Chinese Wall, Frida's I Know There's Something Going On, and Joan Armatrading'sThe Key, among others, as well as solo releases by other Genesis members (Mike Rutherford's Acting Very Strange, plus Tony Banks' The Fugitive and Still). © Greg Prato © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/daryl-stuermer-mn0000675092