MP3 Andy Sheppard - FOLK: Modern Folk

'A Gift For Lovely Melodies' Guitar Player Magazine - A protege of Don Ross and Pierre Bensusan, fusing influences from around the world.

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, WORLD: World Fusion



Details:
New Album in Stores January, 2006!

There are two sides to Andy Sheppard's musical personality. Maybe you know him from his popular national radio program, After Hours on CBC Radio Two. But if you haven't heard him play guitar, you're not getting the whole picture.

"a strong but nuanced sense of pulse and a gift for lovely melodies" - Guitar Player Magazine

He is a protégé of Don Ross and Pierre Bensusan, two of the best steel-string players in the world.

"a tremendous guitarist" - Matt Galloway - Here And Now - Toronto.

Andy combines influences from around the world, all performed with a remarkable guitar technique. The result is a vibrant musical palette, with songs that range from blistering show-stoppers, to the most delicate and beautiful melodies from exotic places and cultures.

âandy throws a party everytime he picks up his guitarââ Stephanie Hodnett, Parlo.com - New York.

Andy is not just a great guitarist and songwriter, but heâs also a storyteller. He brings tales of musical adventure to every show - from launching rockets in South East Asia, to dodging bandits in North Africa, to living through earthquakes in the South Pacific.

"it's as if the Central American influences of Bruce Cockburn met the drums of the South Sea islands" - Peter Bowman - Dundas Review

In January 2006, Andy released his third album. The new CD brings together many of the styles he has encountered in his musical travels. Songs inspired by the folk music of Appalachia, traditional Samba in Brazil, the Palm Wine guitar music of Sierra Leone, the hauntingly beautiful melodies of Haiti, and the unstoppable rhythms of Zimbabwe.

âa true instrumental virtuosoâ - Jeff Robson â UMFM Radio - Winnipeg

Andy is a technical wizard on guitar, but thatâs not the end game. âI much prefer music from the heart to music thatâs gratuitously complex or showy. Give me melody, give me emotion, give me danceable grooves. The technique is just there to serve the music.â

Borealis Records has included music from Andyâs new album on the third volume of their successful Six Strings North of the Border compilation. Andy joins the ranks of great Canadian guitarists such as Kevin Breit, Harry Manx, and Alpha Ya Ya Diallo on this edition in the series. Past compilations have featured Bruce Cockburn, Don Ross, Colin Linden, and Stephen Fearing. Six Strings North of the Border, vol. 3 was released internationally in February 2006. Andy's song 'Dragonfly Helicopter has gone on to become one of the top downloads from the album on iTunes.

"this is fine playing... if andy comes to your town, watch for him" - Margaret Isaacs - CBC Radio, Halifax

When heâs not on the air, Andy is on the road. He has performed at intimate clubs in tiny rural communities, and major venues and festivals in Canadaâs biggest cities. The Ottawa Folk Festival, The Festival of the Guitar (Winnipeg, MB) Under The Volcano Festival (Nelson, BC). The Festival of Friends (Hamilton, ON), Mariposa (Toronto, ON), and many others. Andy has recently completed a tour of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and is touring Ontario and Quebec in spring and summer 2006, including opening shows for international guitar legends Tony McManus (Scotland) and Pierre Bensusan (France).

Websites:

www.andysheppard.com
www.cdbaby.com/sheppard3
www.borealisrecords.com