THE CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO

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 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's most recent studio release Elegy showcases its acoustic side, with beautiful lush originals and innovative cover arrangements of Beatles, Radiohead and more.

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.

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

The String Revolution - Redefining Guitar Music:

Grammy Award® winning guitar trio, The String Revolution is an innovative and dynamic instrumental guitar band that pushes the boundaries of contemporary music. Composed of three virtuoso guitarists, they are renowned for their electrifying performances, blending different genres and styles to create unique arrangements and a 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 and Master of the Arts, Austrian guitarist Markus Illko, and Cuban multi-instrumentalist and guitarist Rober Luis.

They are especially known for re-imagining iconic songs- such as “Billie Jean,” “Rocketman,” “Englishman in New York,” and “Crazy Train,” which featured longtime Billy Idol Guitarist, Steve Stevens. In 2023, they arranged a very unique version of the Cash classic, “Folsom Prison Blues.” The track features a guest appearance by the legendary guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel and was produced by Johnny Cash’s son, John Carter Cash at Cash Cabin Studios. The recording recently won the 66th 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.

Peppino D’Agostino

A young Sicilian artist left Italy over 37 years ago, dreaming of “playing with the greatest guitarists”. Peppino has achieved his dream and he’s now firmly planted in the “who’s who” of the guitar world.

Peppino D’Agostino emerged on the acoustic guitar scene in the early 80’s as a leading member of the second wave of the great fingerstylists that helped redefine the instrument in the ’90s. His remarkable technique, penchant for open tunings, and percussive effects are the basis of his unique compositional style, inspiring musicians and audiences alike for decades. Add to that his natural warmth, playfulness, and broad musical tastes, and you have the recipe for what he calls “minestrone music.” His virtuosity and emotional charge have also significantly influenced the younger generation of fingerstyle guitarists. D’Agostino continues to evolve and grow in ways that would have been hard to predict when he first showcased his melodic yet emotionally intense style on the recordings Acoustic Spirit, Close to the Heart, and Every Step of the Way, which was named one of the top three acoustic guitar albums of all time by Acoustic Guitar magazine readers.

D’Agostino has performed in more than 35 countries, at prestigious international festivals, and has played in some of the world’s most important theaters. He has shared the stage with Tommy Emmanuel, Leo Kottke, Laurindo Almeida, Sergio Assad, Larry Carlton, and Eric Johnson, to name a few. His solo recordings include high-quality labels such as Favored Nations, Mesa / Bluemoon, and Acoustic Music Records. Recognized as “the guitarist’s guitarist” by Acoustic Guitar magazine and described as “a giant of the acoustic guitar” by the San Diego Reader, D’Agostino was voted Best Acoustic Guitarist by readers of Guitar Player magazine. Peppino has collaborated and recorded with the classical guitarist David Tanenbaum (chair of the classical guitar at the Conservatory of San Francisco), Jeff Campitelli (considered one of the 100 greatest drummers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine), the World Guitar Ensemble, and the Paraguayan harpist and violinist Carlos Reyes, among many others. D’Agostino’s composition “Stammi Vicino,” written with electric guitarist Stef Burns and Italian rock star Vasco Rossi, reached number one on the iTunes rock charts in Italy.

D’Agostino’s simultaneous immersion in the classical guitar and rock worlds has culminated in his most recent solo recording, CONNEXION, a mix of sophisticated yet melodic compositions that are technically complex and released by A-TRAIN ENTERTAINMENT. Says Peppino, “The first tune on the album entitled 'High Plains Guitarra' will transport the listener to the unforgettable era of the Western movie of the 60's and the work of the brilliant film composer Ennio Morricone. 'Dancing with Shadows' was inspired by the Doo Wop genre of the 40s and the ghosts of the old ballrooms that once were in Torino, Italy. 'Head Case' is pure high-energy improvisation inspired by the unpredictable Laws of Chaos. 'Buster' was written for the late great Musician and Guitarist Buster B. Jones. 'Mara's Sleeping Song' is my rendition of a beautiful piece written by the fantastic Mandolin virtuoso Caterina Lichtenberg. I'm blessed to have Stef Burns doubling the beautiful melody and improvising masterfully over it. 'Mexican Sunrises' is about dreaming of laying beneath a beautiful sunset in Baja California, Mexico. 'Liam's Song' is dedicated to little Liam, one of my best friends. Stammi Vicino was written together with the legendary Rock Star Vasco Rossi and the inimitable electric guitar genius Stef Burns. 'Jenny's Goodbyes' is dedicated to Jenny, a wonderful woman that left us too early. 'Beauty in the Abyss' is about dreaming of the whales, the beautiful creatures of the deep Oceans. You could arguably say that D’Agostino is the missing link between the Classical and the Acoustic guitar.

Recently Peppino had his very first sold-out tour in China and a soundtrack composed for the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

In addition to performing, D’Agostino also makes time to teach. He enjoys meeting with individual students, providing group instruction with his company, MUSIC WORLD RETREATS, and vacation learning packages like the Acoustic Guitar Cruises, Creative Vacances in La Moreau, France, or teaching with legendary guitarist Martin Taylor. The leading online instruction companies TRUEFIRE and GUITAR BY MASTERS have released a series of videos in which D’Agostino explains his influential guitar techniques and approach to composition. Peppino, when not performing or teaching, also has fun writing musical licks for new versions of games such as Sims – a product of Electronic Arts, or Dragons of Atlantis for Kabam. Peppino likes to compare his musical approach to the culinary art of his native Italy: “If you want to prepare a good, succulent dish, you have to know how to mix the various ingredients and, most importantly, know the right amounts. Similarly, in musical composition, you must be able to properly combine melody, harmony, rhythm, and percussive effects with discretion and elegance.”

People never know what to expect at his concerts. Peppino’s repertoire is always changing, adapting to the rapport he establishes with his audience. His live performances, a combination of beautiful, complex, up tempo original instrumentals, memorable arrangements, and engaging songs, are beautifully addictive. Peppino never disappoints, opening new musical doors with his loved and award winning Seagull signature model guitar. His hands are constantly searching, experimenting, and his original music and songs take his audiences to ever-expanding heights.