R E V I E W S - R E V I E W S - R E V I E W S - R E V I E W S
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New review from Indieville.com:
http://www.indieville.com
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Jason Hoffman
Whatzup, 5-27-07
Fans of tasty guitar instrumentals rejoice: Bryon Thompson has released Starting Now, his fourth collection of top-notch pop-rock compositions! Once again he plies his trade using a trusty Godin A6 electric/acoustic hybrid guitar, giving Thompson’s tone a glassy sheen amid the myriad of sugary tones he conjures forth on each and every track. Fortunately his technique is just as surgically clean, making the album a true delight.
The 10 tracks start off with the title track, a relaxed cascade of finger-picked notes that lead into a heavier rock riff where flanged guitars trade a sunny melody back and forth. “Leave Your Mark” definitely does, evoking wistful memories of bygone rock eras with double guitars playing melodic intervals over a steady rock beat. As good as the first two tracks are, “Beach Nut” will blow you away. Not only do the guitars have an amazing shimmering organ sound, but this upbeat, peppy song will stick in your head for days, combining flash and substance. “I Just Know” is based on a 6/4 chord progression (handled with astounding ease) with a crystal clear tube guitar tone laying down a melodic solo for much of its duration.
At just over one minute, “Antlers” is over before you fully get to enjoy its wood block percussion and banjo-like finger-picking. Your CD player has a repeat button; use it. Another brief but content-rich composition is “Always More,” a waterfall of finger-picked arpeggios that leads to an inventive melody and further plucky ruminations. “Sunny Side of Heaven” is a Fleetwood Mac cover done to perfection, using bright, clear tones and impeccable playing that brings out the character of the original while adding Thompson’s own personality.
“Attention Deficit” earns its name by changing back and forth every 10 seconds between a hammered/plucked melody and a more brass-like passage, with each pass developing a central melody. Searing lead tones and solid drumming make “Says Who” a wonderful rock song full of energy and a playful sense of adventure. The closing track, “Dialed In,” brings on the heavier drums and crunchy rhythm, adding slightly over-driven guitar tones over a gutsy fuzzed bass. But even at his rockiest Thompson never lets things get out of control, instead mastering the beast to channel the energy into a driving rhythm.
While his past albums have always been solid, Starting Now has surpassed them, thanks in small part to an improved rhythm section. The compositions, as in the past, are mature and top-shelf, and his playing clean and controlled yet expressive. Whether you are a guitar aficionado or want background music for your next summer party Starting Now is sure to please.
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Robert Silverstein
MWE3.com, 5-27-07
Indiana guitarist Bryon Thompson continues to pummel music fans with the good vibes of his easy listening cinematic guitar instrumentals. Thompson’s D.I.Y. (do it yourself) approach means that this isn’t some over budgeted smooth jazz set on a major label, yet Thompson manages to more than get across his driving approach to instrumental rock guitar on his 2007 CD Starting Now, incorporating the influences of Hank Marvin, The Dregs, Steve Howe and beyond. A highlight is a cover of Danny Kirwan’s Fleetwood Mac classic “Sunny Side Of Heaven” that fits in well alongside Thompson guitar classics like “Says Who” and the title track. Thompson may be only doing music as a side job—he is renowned as a graphic illustrator—yet one can only ponder the potential that a top producer and studio would tap in to this stuff. Starting Now is a good place to check out Thompson’s melodic instrumental guitar tracks. _________________________________________________
REVIEWS FOR PREVIOUS RELEASES...
Mary E. Rudy
Muzik Reviewz , 12-22-04
When listening to instrumental music some listeners have the difficulty of keeping their attention tuned into the music, with Bryon Thompson and his ‘Get On With It’ CD you will find your imagination being captured by these tunes, which in my opinion is a rarity with instrumentals. Thompson does it with grace and style. And the rarest thing of all, is that this CD will put a smile on your face. Bryon Thompson has nailed it nicely with the song ‘Retroville’. This is one of those tunes that are musically sound, inviting, and a creative treat for your ears and your brain.
There is only one way I can describe Thompson’s CD and that would be to say it is a cross of rock, jazz and definitely Mannheim Steamroller feel except with a Bryon Thompson edge to it. I like the arranging and the use of instruments throughout this cd project. This artist shows real skill in writing for both traditional and electronic instruments.
The recording quality is very good, and the structures of all the songs are well done. I think the initial interest is high, and the long-term interest is excellent! Please do take the time to check out this cd.
BOTTOM LINE: Superb Caliber of Talent…..Musicianship that doesn’t get any better…..Captures your heart and soul from the beginning to the end……and there's something in this cd - in each song that can be identified by someone - somewhere at anytime….Make the best purchase you will ever make this year, purchase the ‘Get On With It’ CD.
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Read Bryon's interview in 20th Century Guitar magazine's October 2003 issue. Page 1 and Page 2. _________________________________________________
Music Morsels, 1-04
A very talented player, with smooth melodies and delicious fingerwork. Rockers like the title track and "Bring It On" are interspersed with the jazzy "This is Why" and the country-fried picking on "One Thing More." Bryon proves you don't have to play a mile a minute to be good.
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Ben Ohmart
Music Dish, 9-9-03
Good things come in small packages. After all, anymore a cd shouldn't be a mere 32 minutes long. Especially when you like the music. But some things you can overlook because you like it. Bryon Thompson's latest effort, Get On With It, is one such exception. This is instrumental pop, fronted by a guitar. Yet the music is so fun and friendly, with its usual array of instruments, that somehow you don't think of it as a guitar album. If anything this is an instrumental release that walks the line between pop, rock and jazz (how many lines does that make?) as it pummels you with good feeling.
All of Get On With It is played by Bryon himself. If he produced and mixed it as well, applause, please. But just writing and performing all of this is enough to give untalented burks an inferiority complex. While he doesn't show off much, he does implement melodies that get trapped inside the brain easily enough. If you can't remember a tune upon one listen, or don't want to, you're riding the short bus home.
The songs remind me of what the Beach Boys should've done on those non-lyrical tracks of theirs in the early days. No, no spirit of surf music here, but a spirit of adventure and a delight for living. I'd rather hear that psychology than REM and the complaining kind any day.
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Robert Silverstein
MWE3.com, 9-14-03
Back in the early and mid '60s-a few years before the advent of jazz-rock and all the serious vibes that went along with it-guitarists often made instrumental music for fun. The '60s was also the time when the pop-based surf-rock instrumental sound of groups like The Ventures and The Shadows and guitarists such as Duane Eddy were extremely popular all around the planet. Thanks to the reemergence of '60s flavored guitar instrumentals during the '90s, many guitarists returned to the trend of composing melodies that-while not overtly simplistic-offered the listener a chance to easily connect and even hum along with the tune. One such guitarist putting the fun back into guitar instrumental music again is Indiana-based guitarist Bryon Thompson who released his third CD Get On With It in 2003. Performing all the instruments himself, Thompson demonstrates his unique grasp of the guitar instrumental genre on the nine track CD. Get On With It proves that often the best music features melodies and arrangements that linger long after the song is over.
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Jason Hoffman
Whatzup, 9-5-03
If a competition were held in which local guitarists battled to the gruesome death in a bold display of technical wizardry, my money would be on Bryon Thompson. Get On With It, his third release of guitar-laden instrumentals, reveals yet again that he has the chops as well as the even scarcer melodic songwriting ability to produce an album that stands up against the major-label bullies.
This time out Thompson wanted to create a feel-good album of infectious pop/rock instrumentals and he has succeeded splendidly. Seven of the nine outings exhibit an upbeat joyous exuberance and carefree attitude sure to bring a smile to any crusty old curmudgeon. Even the two slower songs maintain a cheerful edge, as evidenced in This Is Why which bounds with Thompson's fingerpick stylings and shimmering guitar parts.
Lasting Impact is the perfect opener for Bryon's melodic picnic, matching pitter-patter drums against chiming guitar tones that ring out like the warm summer sun. Throughout I was impressed at the multiple guitar parts that weave intricate figures around each other in an astounding display of musical acrobatics, never once colliding or stepping on toes. The title track is similarly bouncy with just a touch of grit in one of the guitar parts and enough sonic variety to keep your interest through the myriad changes. Bring It On is one of the rockiest compositions, sporting a retro sound harkening to a 1970s soundtrack with lots of southern-rock musical avenues for the listener to explore. In addition to glistening pop melodies Thompson is a master at devising guitar tones. Nowhere is this more evident than on Carried Away where piano-like percussive tones combine with parts that sound more harp than guitar. The closing track, One Thing More, opens with what I assume to be a solitary guitar with no overdubs playing a catchy melody over a mind-bending flurry of fingerpicked notes, later adding sparse extras to round out the brief composition.
The production on this album is as excellent as the musicianship. Bryon Thompson continues to grow as a songwriter, filling these edgy 3-4 minute pop/rock compositions with great pacing and development, using the brief time to explore a melody and then wisely ducking out before overstaying his welcome. Guitarists will drool uncontrollably at Bryon's ability to coax magic sounds from his instrument and music lovers will rejoice that yet another collection of accessible pop instrumentals are available to cheer away their grumpy ol' trolls.
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Robert Silverstein
20th Century Guitar, 4-02
The latest from Indiana-based Bryon Thompson comes across like a ray of sunshine against a dark sky. Sure Thompson has chops, but he also knows the value of a melodic hook and is a master at shifting ambient musical textures, and besides on his latest self-produced instrumental album he can and does do it all. The follow-up to his self-titled debut, his 2001 release Set Your Sights features ten originals that expertly combine the hybrid sounds of Thompson's crisply recorded, multi-tracked acoustic /electric Godin guitar. The album should be quite a treat for fans of Pat Metheny's more pastoral settings and even the quasi New Age fingertyle guitar sound of Adrian Legg and Preston Reed. Performing all the guitars and percussion himself, Thompson will please a lot of guitar buffs with Set Your Sights.
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Jason Hoffman
Whatzup, 8-12-01
"Set Your Sights" continues the imaginative journey he began on his first album. The playing on this disc is superb, often with a unique finger-pick style, and the production is dead-on.
Each of the t10 tracks listens like a vignette, effortlessly evoking imagery or stories from the listener. Bryon has created attractive melodies and woven them into intelligent, listenable compositions which are always interesting and engaging without being intrusive.
Due to my preference for rock-based music, "All Worked Up" was an early favorite. There's just a bit of distortion on the lead guitar that plays an edgy melody before being interrupted by a shimmering, calming, near-synth bridge which was probably played on the guitar.
It is amazing the number of timbres Thompson is able to create on his instrument. "Drive Time has a steel pedal guitar, "Overnighter" has a hammered dulcimer and "Down in the Gorge" has a banjo. Or, rather Thompson has been able to create these sounds using his guitar and a little ingenuity. Regardless of the technical aspects, the compositions on this CD are well-crafted, inventive and perfectly appealing to guitarists and lovers of quality music alike.
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Evan Gillespie
Whatzup, 4-27-00
Fort Wayne's Bryon Thompson plays a Godin A6 electric/acoustic hybrid guitar to produce a shiny sound that is capable of turning out a wide range of moods. "Wish You Well" is quiet and contemplative, while "Scuffle" possesses an infectious bounce. "Intro/Gloss" is all bombastic rock, while "Almost There" is jazzily atmospheric.
The only downside of Thompson's self-titled CD is that most of the 11 tracks are disappointingly short; they're brief musical snapshots that tend to end just as they're hitting their stride. It's a minor complaint; the songs are fun while they last.
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GUITAR9.COM
The self-titled CD-R release features eleven instrumentals that hit the listener like a cool breeze, with clean, shimmering electric tones alternating with a slightly overdriven sound or a purely acoustic flavor. At times, Thompson likes to offer several distinct tonalities in the same piece, as he does in "Intro/Gloss", firing off a warning shot consisting of edgy electric lines, then settling in with melodic, acoustic textures. Similar to players such as Lindsey Buckingham and Leo Kottke, Thompson never uses a pick, whether playing electric or acoustic. His CD-R offers a positive message and some motivic and eclectic guitar explorations.
Bryon has played acoustic guitar almost exclusively for 20 years but after discovering the Godin, he rapidly incorporated the sound of this hybrid electric and acoustic into his sound. Bryon's influences range wildly from Preston Reed to Todd Rundgren, but the common thread is his fingerstyle approach to playing.
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Samuel A. Minick
2-23-00
Bryon Thompson's self-titled CD is a charmingly shy and surprising well produced group of instrumental, fingerstyle guitar essays that could be traveling narratives. There is a natural sunny flow of clean, folksy guitarmanship throughout each individual track. Thompson has a crisp guitar tone that ranges from rambling laughter to the cadence of a comfortable conversation.
There is a light, blue, southern twang to Thompson's songs. His sound is eclectic without being trite, and is positive without being new age. Meditative melody and thoughtful composition are weaved successfully with the well arranged percussion. This is a solid, compact collection of imaginative guitar studies in alternate tunings.
A broad range of moods is evident from the humorous candor of "Scuffle" to the heavyhearted pause of "Wish You Well". Two tracks in particular, "Intro/Gloss" and "Microslide", offer some short, unexpected turns but provide an enjoyable ride.
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CDBaby
Bryon Thompson's "Set Your Sights" is an inventive blend of semi-acoustic instrumental tracks that showcase a broad range of acoustic pop. Thompson's guitar tones range from textured acoustic to clean and slightly edgy.
What stands out in this collection is the originality of each track and the imaginative approach to fingerstyle playing. Thompson is an advocate of guitar exploration and has no qualms about experimenting with tones, "I'm not an acoustic purest by any stretch. I like to do what works best for the song, not the genre".
At times, Thompson likes to offer several distinct tonalities in the same piece as he does with the contemplative "Unwind", fusing alternating guitars which work to form a relaxing musical conversation. "All Worked Up" offers some infectious, edgy lines while the melodic "Glide" hits you like a cool breeze.
Attractive melody and composition are weaved and textured to produce some very memorable songs that work well as film or video soundtracks.
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What other are saying about Thompson's playing:
"Unique and fresh! ...very cool!" - Lord Litter, DJ/Promoter/musician
"Set Your Sights is excellent! From start to finish - it has Bryon's trademark textures and melodic approach thoughout". - Jim Earp
"Very original. Fantastic playing with a bright, fresh guitar tone."
"Your picking style is clear and distinct with a good ambient quality."
"The CD is incredible!! I absolutely love Southern Bends. Intro/Gloss is a close second"
"Great engaging ideas. The third track, The Balance, is really sweet!"
"Got your CD today and put it right in for a listen. It's so good. Can't wait to hear it again."
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