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GOODBYE GUITAR • Tony Gilkyson
This is how it's supposed to be done. Call me old-fashioned, but for alternative country to sound good, you gots to play good. And Tony G. plays like a demon, as you may have noticed in last month's video clips from SXSW. (If not, check them out here.) He's way more than a great guitarist. He is that select company that is operating with a deep tonal vocabulary, and a connection to the instrument that few ever know. When he bends a note, into another bent note, into another bent note, and it's all in tune and it's all in time, that's a guitar player. That's just part of it, of course; it has as much to do with his approach to harmony and pushing the country envelope, and sterling acoustic work.
Don't fool yourself, my friends
You're no better than the man
Sleeping under Wilton Bridge tonight
This is our kind of guy, no doubt about it. And when he rolls out of this second tune into the amazing "Man About Town" (a tune by his celebrated dad Terry, who wrote for Disney and starred in a folk group called The Easy Riders) you realize that the stone dropped in the well hasn't made a sound yet. His musical depth overall is as revealed by his sense of humor as it is by pathos--just check out "(I Need a) Donut And A Dream" on the Listen page.
Tony's done way more than a host of more famous people. Ten years with X, played with Lone Justice, played on and produced a slew of great records. We encourage you to get the details at the artist's website. Like all the greatest players will tell you, it's about seeing them live. So check his tour dates, and check those video clips.
This is a fabulous country record. Wow, that's Amy Correia singing that sweet harmony on "Wilton Bridge." Favorites collide. And his glorious sister Eliza is backing him up on "Man About Town." Although we ran into him earlier in our SXSW trip to Austin, this record is the surprise of the month. We're digging the hell out of it. • Frank Goodman
return to covers listen to clips buy it here or here
tonygilkyson.com recent video clips of tony in austin
