| Kenny - Dorian |
|
To purchase cds and books go to CDFreedom
These and half a dozen other titles are on the cds page.
 For those of you that have been to this site a few times you probably have the verbiage memorized. Go straight to the gigs page, see where I am working and come hear some music. If this is your first visit then thanks for reading. I have been a working (and working class) guitarist for about 40 years now. I’ve played plenty of blues and folk, jazz and rock and roll. I think of my acoustic solo music as "contemporary traditional"; original music that reflects my interest in a number of styles of music. These influences come through in my original material, but it is a contemporary music that grows from, rather than mimics, those influences. When I play someone else's music or a traditional piece I do my best to give the listener at least a few small surprises. As well as my solo gigs and touring around the States and Canada, I play in a duo with mandolinist Kenny Blackwell. We have two CDs out and we have some gigs coming up. See the kenny/dorian page. I have written two books on alternate guitar tunings for Centerstream Publications. Take a look at the "books" page and read all about it. Recently Centerstream had me do three instructional DVDs; beginning fingerstyle, intermediate fingerstyle and intermediate blues improvisation. I understand that they will be available around April. I play guitars built by Michael Baranik. One is cedar and cocobolo, the other spruce and rosewood. There is a third one in the works with some new design elements and it should be done at the end of March and I am looking forward to getting it. (There is an understatement.) I play GHS strings. There are Highlander pickups in all of my instruments and I am a big fan of the Highlander DI box. Ron Saul built my uke and we all owe a lot to National Resophonic Guitars (San Luis Obispo) and Renaissance Guitars (Santa Cruz). Did we get everybody? If you're a fan of the blues, hear the blues ensemble I co-lead with vocalist Brett Hoover, The Cinders Blues Band. If you are in the mood for an electric instrumental blues ensemble cd, get a hold of "Wheel of Fortunes", it really kicks butt. Really. See the CDs page. Keleran Millham, a fine singer in Spokane, once said of my music, “There is an integrity and clarity to his work”. I try to live up to that. The integrity thing is easy. The clarity thing is really hard. And next summer I will be teaching again at the Pelletier Guitar Camp in beautiful Saskatchewan, check their website Pelletier Guitar Camp
The guitar tab for 'manitoba moon', 'amelia', 'arizona meets the ocean', 'such a disappointment' and 'tomatosquash' are available for $3 each - contact Dorian at dm1@fix.net also, audio clips from "Sycamore Creek" at CDFreedom
minor7th.com says: Musical chops are born of time and woodshedding, and then playing and more playing...Dorian Michael has chops which are all over his latest solo acoustic guitar effort, "Sycamore Creek". He is at ease in any number of musical genres which he reveals over these twelve tracks. Six originals are joined by six standards from the worlds of jazz, blues, and traditional music. It takes an understanding of the music to pull off a solo acoustic version of "Black Orpheus" by Luis Bonfa, but Michael does it well, keeping the groove with chordal movement while ringing along the melody in single note phrases. Also tasty is the Jimmy Van Heusen classic "Here's That Rainy Day" played with just enough douleur and panache to capture its various moods. The title cut cascades as Michael makes use of the entire fretboard. The power of fingerstyle guitar is brought to life on "Deep River Blues" as Michael carries multiple voices at once on the blues standard. "Manitoba Moon" is a dreamy nightscape, while "Uncle Al's [Backyard]" is a sassy, braying beast of a blues powered by Michael's excellent chording and lyrical leads... Dorian Michael isn't as well known outside the western U.S. as his playing deserves. Discs like "Sycamore Creek" could well change that. © Kirk Albrecht San Luis Obispo New Times - "Fans of acoustic guitar music will want to pick up a copy of Dorian Michael's 'The Way We Dance,' a collection of a dozen original compositions. Featuring mostly blues and folk, 'The Way We Dance' is a clear demonstration of Michael's fingerstyle guitar skills. The instrumental tunes are richly arranged, and like many great solo guitarists, Michael makes it sound like there's more than one guitar at work. My favorite track, 'Cardinal Rule,' is a slide guitar number that's simply transporting. This is a must-have for acoustic music fans." Dirty Linen - "This is an impressive collection of 12 solo guitar pieces composed and nimbly performed by guitarist Dorian Michael, whose writing and playing has obviously been influenced by guitarists like Leo Kottke and John Fahey. His fingerpicking style sharply defines the tunes, and his melodies show a wide range of influences. An engaging and entertaining recording." Stereophile Magazine - "...infectious music" with "...a thrilling intensity to the performance ...short of smelling the beer and the sweat it was just like being at the session." All music on this web site © 1998 Dorian Michael ... all rights reserved |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Audio Files (30-second clips)
(dm1@impulse.net) Sorry, no clickable email, trying to cut down on spam, please copy and paste this address, we do want to hear from you. really. |