Fourteen original instrumental tracks combine artwork and text to tell the adventures of a North American wagon train journey through one traveler's personal experiences circa 1840 – an odyssey that will lead to The Kennett Flash on Saturday, Aug. 27.
Bert Lams and Tom Griesgraber will be supporting their debut album, “Unnamed Lands.” The project began simply as an idea to produce an album together. But as the two began working on material a theme emerged: prairie travelers in the 1800s making their way westward and looking for better fortunes, a Flash press release said.
Throughout the recording process both Lams and Griesgraber performed and traveled through a lot of the areas described in the story, and a musical style seemed to emerge that could almost be described as "Progressive Americana."
"It's really a blend of our personalities and everything Bert and I do,” said Griesgraber in the release. “There is a strong progressive rock influence, with lots of odd meters and adventurous sounds, but it's balanced by a highly melodic and folk-like approach and even some classical-styled modulations."
A member of the California Guitar Trio, guitarist Lams is an honors graduate of The Royal Conservatory of Music in his native Brussels, Belgium. His affinity for jazz and rock in addition to classical music, inspired him to continue his studies and eventually tour with English guitarist Robert Fripp (King Crimson), before founding the CGT.
Lams’ music with the CGT blends musical styles as diverse as Beethoven symphonies, Bach preludes, progressive rock, surf guitar and spaghetti westerns together with a unique cello-like guitar tuning. His first solo CD "Nascent" features the music of Bach adapted to steel string acoustic guitar, the release said.
Griesgraber graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music as a guitar major, before discovering The Chapman Stick in 1997. Combining six guitar strings and six bass strings with a two-handed tapping technique more like playing piano, the Stick allows the performer to play bass lines, chords and melodies simultaneously with a variety of sounds. Griesgraber and Lams have been touring together since 2004, the release said.
For a preview of their music, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU0MaVHXV54 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjNfTpapA9Y.
Tickets – which are $25 – are available at www.kennettflash.org or www.ticketfly.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. BYOB is permitted for $4 at the door (beer and wine only), and dinner service is available from La Verona. The Kennett Flash is located at 102 Sycamore Alley in Kennett Square.
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