Steve Gunn's Time Off was one of the great surprises of 2013. Not because it showcased his already considerable skills as a guitarist, but because he discovered his strength as a songwriter too. Way Out Weather, written during his global travels over the last year, is ambitious. Its musical architecture is more focused yet its production is more spacious. Gunn employs a larger band here – drummer John Truscinski, bassist/producer Justin Tripp, banjo player and soundscape artist Nathan Bowles, harpist Mary Lattimore, Rhyton's Jimy Seitang, and multi-instrumentalist/engineer Justin Meagher.
For most of the last decade and a half, guitarist Steve Gunn has been quietly going about his business as a musician's musician. In addition to collaborating with Meg Baird, the Magik Markers, and Kurt Vile, he has been an active recording artist as a member of GHQ, the Gunn Truscinski Duo, and in his low-key way, as a solo artist. Time Off is his first trio recording under his own name. Gunn is a guitarist of wide interests and skillful versatility, whether it be early blues traditions like Piedmont or Delta styles, American Primitive, Indian music, psych, Gnawan, etc. He seeks out what inspires him then masters it. This set was reportedly cut in the breaks he had between other projects.
Annabel Mehran's black-and-white cover photo for Steve Gunn's The Unseen Inbetween is a portrait of the guitarist and songwriter seemingly on the move. It evokes those found on early- to mid-'60s recordings by Bob Dylan, Koerner, Ray & Glover, Jackson C. Frank, Bert Jansch, and others. Gunn has shifted his focus considerably. Rather than simply showcase his dazzling guitar playing, he delivers carefully crafted, uncharacteristically tight and well-written songs with guitars, keyboards, strings, reeds – and percussion – translating them without artifice or instrumental disguise. Gunn's also a more confident, capable singer than he was on 2016's Eyes on the Lines and it shows.
Classically trained, and with a reputation as one of the world's best selling flutists, Nicholas Gunn is in the upper echelon of contemporary instrumentalists. Having released over thirteen solo projects and selling over two million copies he is a double platinum artist. His music can best be described as a fusion of Native American and ambient/world music. He masterfully employs the guitar, piano, and percussion and infuses his beloved flute and other wind instruments extensively in most of his songs. Beautifully rhythmic, it deeply touches the heart, mind, and soul. Longing, nostalgia, and sentimentality are triggered by Gunn’s passion and respect for Native Americans and a purer and simpler way of life.
Acclaimed songwriter and guitarist Steve Gunn returns this summer with his stunning new album Other You. Recorded in Los Angeles with Grammy Award winning producer and engineer Rob Schnapf, Gunn sought to create an album that would push his melodic and compositional sensibilities to thrilling new heights. The resulting tracks find Gunn pushing his cosmic Americana to exciting new dimensions encompassing elements of prog, jazz, and contemporary classical music. The album also features contributions from Mary Lattimore, Juliana Barwick, Bridget St. John and Jeff Parker.
Nicholas Gunn is no stranger to creating music centered around our greatest natural wonders. It’s no surprise then, that on his 20th studio recording, he finds himself immersed in the grandeur that is the great “Pacific Blue”. While a metaphor for self-discovery and exploration, Pacific Blue speaks to the life journey we all find ourselves on. Framed by several exquisite vocal performances from Alina Renae, Nicholas Gunn’s lyrical and musical style is nothing short of breathtaking, lush and exquisite. With a production value born out of 25 years of experience, this album bobs and weaves through a sonic bed of absolute clarity.