RSD Guitar Soli :: Alvarius B. & Sir Richard Bishop / Glenn Jones

a0427366374_10Record Store Day returns for another go-round this Saturday. For me, the event is known as Do I Really Want To Stand In Line For Limited Edition Colored Vinyl Day. But as usual, amidst the pointless collector bait, plenty of great music is hitting shelves as well. These two guitar soli releases are good examples. They might even be worth standing in line for…

Three Lobed Records’ delightfully titled If You Don’t Like It … DON’T! brings together new six-string work from Alan and Rick Bishop, AKA Alvarius B. and Sir Richard Bishop, AKA the Brothers Unconnected, AKA co-founders of the late, lamented Sun City Girls. The brothers are literally unconnected here, both contributing a side of solo recordings, but they’re linked by a sense of adventurousness and the limitless possibilities offered by the acoustic guitar. The Alvarius B. pieces are raw, short and spiky, briskly performed, but not without shards of elemental beauty shining through. Sir Richard, befitting his noble title, brings an elegance and refinement to the flipside. His songs go down a bit easier than his brother’s, but they’re still far from smooth. The closer, “Midwestern Serenade,” is a rambling beauty that drifts along, light as air for a captivating seven-and-a-half minutes. Long live the Brothers Unconnected!

Alvarius B. and Sir Richard Bishop :: Yeah Well, Oyster Shells

American Primitive genius Glenn Jones’ Record Store Day release, Welcomed Wherever I Go serves as an excellent chaser to last year’s downright perfect My Garden State LP. We get a live medley that shows off Jones’ masterful slide skills, a moody collaboration from a few years back with the dearly departed Jack Rose, and a lovely, improvised duet with Cian Nugent that weaves and winds in a very satisfying fashion. There’s absolutely nothing to complain about — except for the fact that the EP is all too brief. Greedily/hopefully, Jones is cooking up another full-length. words / t wilcox

Glenn Jones :: From A Forgotten Session

Related: Transfigurations 2013: Recent & Recommended Guitar Soli

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