MP3 Michael Berk - Unashamedly Questionable

Contemporary virtuoso solo fingerstyle acoustic guitar

15 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, FOLK: Fingerstyle



Details:
QUOTES

"... Massively talented Michael Berk, with a percussive, driving set of tunes played with his quite unique combination of flat-picking and fingerstyle - a wonderfully irreverant, thrashy version of Amazing Grace, his own extraordinary nervous tension and some cheesy stuff by request." â¨Nigel Walsh, The Times
"His background is in heavy metal and flamenco, his current sound blending Celtic sounds and modern acoustic techniques with helpings of bottleneck and flawless fingerpicking" â¨Guitarist Magazine
"The lone man and his music could fill a stadium with sound. Acknowledging this, he is one of a VERY small elite. The spectrum of sounds that radiate from his instrument are so full and vibrant that much like a fine claret, there is simply no need to complicate. Most excitingly of all, he, like claret, will only improve with age."â¨Blah Blah Magazine (March 2005)
"Some of the craziest acoustic guitar playing i've ever seen... The man has such quick fingers that just as you thought you knew the tune he was playing he'd plough into something else. This was a guitarist you couldn't take your eyes off."â¨Steven Hughes, The Wokingham Times
"Michael Berk can safely be called a guitar virtuoso with a fingerstyle wizardry and intricate compositions that left an open-jawed audience mesmerised." â¨BBC Berkshire
"The most exciting exponent of acoustic guitar on the live scene⦠not for the faint of heart!" â¨Up All Night
"⦠one of the most exalting guitarists I've heard in a long time⦠A virtuoso in any field who has still to reach his peak. Highly recommended!" â¨Bridge Guitar Reviews
"If you are a fan of great guitar music, then why not get down to see Michael Berk." â¨Manchester Music - Manchesteronline.co.uk
"The greatest thing about it is that you don't have to play guitar to truly appreciate his brilliance. Any old fool can see just how much skill the man must possess to play at that speed and create THAT sound. This is fast paced- in your face acoustic roll and roll." Wigan Music Collective
"Michael Berk produces some amazing sounds from an acoustic guitar. This is because his idea of playing is not solely confined to what he can produce using the strings. So the body is tapped, wacked ,twanged, and gently abused to provide the rhythm for some bottle-neck playing and general dextrous plucking... A virtuoso but an exciting one at that." Russellsreviews.co.uk - review of a show at The
"Excellent and truly original... and I like original musicians" Chick Churchill ,Ten Years After
"You scare the shit out of me. I'm going to go home and practice!" Roddy Byers, The Specials

History

For the last 10 years, Michael Berk has been playing to audiences around the UK and Europe, performing bwetween 150- 200 shows each year with little more than a guitar and the occasional percussionist.â¨London's famous 12 Bar Club calls him " one of the few truly gifted acoustic guitar players around⦠a true virtuoso". Born on 23 March 1981, Michael began playing at the age of 6 using his mother's old guitar and a Beatles songbook. By the time he was 11, he was playing professionally with bands. â¨Since then, Michael has performed in 5 countries, has privately taught over 120 students and is a regular session guitarist for several well known London-based producers.â¨A recent review from Guitar 9 Records (internet magazine) said:â¨"London fingerstyle guitarist Michael Berk has already been compared to the likes of Michael Hedges, Adrian Legg and Preston Reed, and the intricate compositions on his debut CD certainly invite comparisons with these masters. Advancing a percussive style on a steel-strung acoustic, album cuts such as 'All Enquiries' and the title track leap from the speakers, displaying technical mastery, a robust, commanding acoustic guitar tone and a passion for the sensitive side of guitar playing. The unpredictability of his compositions is also a strength - the music keeps your attention and offers a sense of fullness of expression." â¨Michael has recently returned from the United States having performed in New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, New York and competed in the prestigious "National Fingerstyle Guitarist of the Year Competition" held in Winfield, Ks.⨠Music from Michael's debut album "Organized Chaos", recently appeared on the documentary "Cancer Cures" that aired on the 3rd Feb 2004 on ITV. From January to June in 2006 Michael performed onstage at The National Theatre, on London's South Bank, in a play called "Burn". Gig highlights include The Cambridge Folk Festival, Rythms of The World Festival, National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition (USA), Bushy Blues Festival, National Theatre, The Purcell Room and Bournmouth Football Club!