Original acoustic-electric guitar alchemist.

Bio: Uncle John Sawbriar, an ori

A sawbriar is a wild forest vine that if accidentally encountered in the woods, is easy to in which to become entangled--while it will usually penetrate your skin with its many thorns. Uncle John Sawbriar adopted this plant as a totem and metaphorical statement for the quality of his music--wherein the natural sound of a guitar, like the thorns of this vine, may get under your skin and make you feel something... whatever that may be.

At his performances, many people state that they have never seen or heard anyone play the guitar in the manner of Uncle John Sawbriar, but few--if any--have ever stated that they did not like it. On the contrary, most are pleasantly surprised--no matter what kind of music they typically prefer.

Fingerstyle guitar is nothing new, and although many major label and independent artists make use of it as an embellishment to a production within a recording or live performance, it rarely is found to be at the forefront in most forms of contemporary popular music. However, there has been within recent years a resurgence of artistry within the fringes of the music industry, in the realm of solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar.
Artists such as the late Michael Hedges have compelled many others to produce what can be created on a single acoustic guitar--along with other guitarists such as Preston Reed, Kaki King, Andy McKee and Tommy Emmanuel, who have continued to create compelling and awe-inspiring instrumental acoustic guitar pieces that further expand upon the popularity of this eclectic musical style within the ranks of guitarists and listeners alike. These guitarists create soundscapes on acoustic guitar using little or no effects. Uncle John Sawbriar is a part of this somewhat obscure but exciting musical movement. If only a bit further removed into the depths of obscurity than these aforementioned artists, the average person might have the opportunity to experience this music that they've not known and which they may never have the chance to hear--but Uncle John Sawbriar is all but anonymous in the vast overall scheme of all music produced these days. Then again, the Earth itself is but a speck within the infinite cosmos--but that does not negate the significance and importance of our home planet in the vast scheme of creation.

Drawing upon influences as diverse as the guitar styles of Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Chet Atkins, John Fahey and Leo Kottke--as well as of all of the aforementioned guitarists--Uncle John Sawbriar weaves musical tapestries of sound incorporating elements of rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, ragtime and Americana into an eclectic solo style of instrumentals and songs. Employing traditional and non-traditional guitar techniques including two-hand tapping, body percussion and non-standard tunings, the music performed by Uncle John Sawbriar is an amalgam of musical styles and techniques that is difficult to label in the typical music industry manner. Like the late Michael Hedges, who resented the industry label "New Age" (Hedges himself tagging his own music with such terms as "Savage Myth Guitar", "New Edge" and "Heavy Mental"), Uncle John refers to his original guitar compositions as "Guitar Alchemy"--wherein golden new sounds are conjured from the lead of imagination. Believe it, Guitar Alchemy is something that can and should be experienced.

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