California Guitar Trio Tickets

It has been a while since I have seen the trio, but they are as impressive as ever. After 19 years together, they can perform some very intricate guitar work and make it seem simple. Beyond that, they are warm and generous musicians and have a loyal following who even sign along when asked. Great show, warm and personal with excellent sound and a broad range of material: Surf to classical to rock.

CGT never fails to entertain and amaze the audience with their guitar mastery.

The California Guitar Trio played a packed house at the Ark in Ann Arbor. They were fantastic! To say that these three guitarist are talented, as reviewers invariably do, is like saying the Amazon is just another river. From Hideyo's swagger and Paul's noteworthy mastery effects, to Bert's insanely fast fingers, this trio is too good not to be heard. Their two-set show included some old favorites like Classical Gas and Bohemian Rhapsody and an incredible version of Pink Floyd's Echoes that was so good it stunned the audience. They also played new tunes including the very notable Cathedral Peak, which featured an incredible flowing solo from Bert. Another treat was music from the PBS documentary miniseries John Adams. I drove two-and-a-half hours each way to see them and it was well worth it. If you have the opportunity to attend a CGTrio concert, you owe it to your ears to do so.

I have heard the trio but never seen the show. WOW! Watching their hands and seeing the enjoyment of playing on their faces was great. I would highly recommend seeing them and I know I will be in the audience when they return to Michigan.

Awesome! Amazing blend of three guitars, and each player is a virtuoso!

This was the first time I have seen CGT, but it won't be the last. Their show was a tour de force of focused musicianship that can be appreciated if you are a casual fan, or someone who studies music and music theory. The venue was The Rhythm Room in Phoenix, normally a jumping blues club, but tonight before the blues group arrived, we were treated to nearly 2 hours of CGT originals and covers. So many references - Beethoven, Queen, Pink Floyd, the Ventures, traditional Japanese music, all spun together in a wonderful tapestry, to be enjoyed by about 100 people only. Then, after the show was over, they took the soundboard recording to a duplication tower, made copies, and had them available, autographed, no less, for $15! What a souvenir!

This was a great show. They play an eclectic mix of blues covers, classical pieces and original music, all composed/re-composed by themselves. The venue was very small, so it was an "up close and personal" experience. The sound was top notch. It's truly amazing what 3 guys can do with nothing but acoustic guitars and a multitude of pedal effects. If you check out the samples on their website, it will give you a good idea of what they're about. However, it doesn't really do them justice for their live show, to see them perform. I'm a metalhead, generally, but I truly enjoyed this show!

One of my favorite blues clubs, the Rhythm Room in downtown Phoenix, had a special 6:00 PM concert of the CA Guitar Trio. I had never heard of the band but when I read their MySpace page and found out they met through and played with Robert Fripp, that was enough for me to buy a ticket. My best friend knew them because they do a cover of a Yes tune that gets good play on Sirius XM. The concert was wonderful and the guitars had BIG voices; it was hard to tell what was coming from which player. The selections were very eclectic and included a piece written for the Japanese Kodo, the William Tell Overture and "Classical Gas." A lovely surprise of the evening was a fourth player, Tom Griesgraber, and his wonderfully hypnotic Chapman Stick. Tom opened the show with a solo number that knocked my socks off and joined the trio for one tune.

The Robert Fripp trained CGT was spot on in every regard, with guitar voicings that were astounding (particularly Pink Floyd's "Echoes"). When CGT became CGT +2 (Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin) my head exploded. Tony and Michael Bernier were at their experimental best on chapman sticks over Pat's syncopations and triggered doo-dads. BB's is a great place to see acts like this (and Adrian Belew - coming in August) - intimate, and you catch every nuance of the music. Too bad a burger costs $20!