Frankfurt show 2012 was a great opportunity for Nicolai from Vintage & Rare to meet Øystein Husemoen from Norwegian Wood Series / Husemoen Guitars.

The Norwegian Wood Series are made entirely from woods that grow in Norway. The advantage is that they do not have to use the rainforest to timber in order to create a good sound. These handmade guitars combine maximum playability with a rich tone and a classic design.

Here is one cool video of that day. Enjoy!

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In April 2012 Nicolai from Vintage & Rare had a great opportunity to meet Werner Kozlik at the Frankfurt Show 2012. Werner is owner of Stevens Custom Guitars and Munich Repair Shop. At the show they were presenting the whole range of instruments they do in Stevens Custom Guitars Company.

They are mostly focused on development and production of musical instruments, such as Steal String Guitars, Jazz Guitars, Irish Bouzoukis, Acoustic Bass Guitars and custom orders.

Here are some cool pictures and videos of that day. Enjoy!

Stevens Custom Guitars / 1 of 2 / Vintage & Rare / Frankfurt Show 2012

Stevens Custom Guitars / 2 of 2 / Vintage & Rare / Frankfurt Show 2012

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Dominic Frasca is a guitar player, more famous by his YouTube video called ‘’Impossible guitar’’. Video has at last count 39,305,349  hits. After seeing his video, we at Vintage & Rare were totally blown away.

Could you please tell us a bit about your background as a musician and how you got into playing music? Do you remember any specific moment that sparked your interest in music?

I have always listened to the music from an early age. I had four older sisters and an older brother who turned me onto everything from Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan to Disco. But it was when I started listening to AC/DC that I really decided I wanted to play guitar.

Do you have formal musical education?

I got my degrees in classical guitar and Composition from University of Arizona and Yale.

What musicians or bands have inspired the most over time?

Prince, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Maurice Ravel, Anthony Davis, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd to just name a few.

From a hard rock guitar player you became a classical player. What inspired you to go in this direction?

It was kind of in the air for my generation. There was a big neo-classical thing happening with a lot of the electric players of the 80’s so it seemed natural to progress to classical. I really enjoyed the discipline and the musical structure that classical had to offer, but in the end I am still a rocker in my heart.

How important do you see Youtube as a promotion tool and channel for you?

Youtube really changed everything for musicians as well as most other profession. Whether you are a street fighter or a comedian or a guitarist you can now reach so many people without ever leaving your home. This also means now that you need to be educated and have skills in many areas such as video, marketing, engineering etc. In a lot of ways it is a great time to be a musician.

Please tell us something about the Fixations project.

Fixations is an ongoing piece I created for surround sound and surround video which I perform in my performance space The Monkey in NYC. Fixations deals with those things that people fixate on from money to sex to religion. After having played guitar for so many years I really wanted to create something that stretched beyond just the guitar.

So I built a performance space and started experimenting with everything visuals sound design to what type of drinks people have when they come to the performance. The space in a lot of ways is the last extension of my instrument and when people come to see the show it is like they are entering into my mind, which for some people is not always a good thing.

Any famous last words?

In the words of Viv Savage from Spinal Tap “Have a good time all the time”.

www.dominicfrasca.com

itunes.apple.com/au/album/deviations/id448474429

Would you like to add something about Dominic? Please leave a comment…

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Nina Badrić is a Croatian pop singer. This year she will represent Croatia at Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku with her song called ”Sky” (”Nebo”). While she is preparing for ESC she found some time for Vintage & Rare. Read what she told us and don’t forget to listen to the song and vote!

Could you please tell us a bit about how and when you got into playing music?

I started singing when I was 9 years old in The ”Zvijezdice” ( Little stars ), children’s choir in which I soon became one of the leading soloists.

What musicians have inspired you the most over the years?

Music that has graced me in my life is predominantly performed by Milles Davis, Stewie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince.

You are a famous singer in Croatia. Do you ever wish not to be?

Music is my life.

Are you proud to represent Croatia on Eurovision Song Contest 2012?

I was thrilled because they invited me to represent Croatia. I am very proud and it is a big challenge for me. Definitely a new step and inspiration in my carrier.

How come you decided to sing in croatian? What is the song about?

Song is very emotional and strong. Especially for me.

How important do you see Youtube as a promotion tool and channel for you as an artist?

I think that today YouTube, facebook or another social media are very important for promotion.

Do you play any instruments?

Unfortunately no.

Any artists around the world that you would like to play and record with?

Quincy Jones, Adele, Prince, George Michael…

What are you future plans?

After Eurovisian song contest I am going on a tour. I am very happy and excited about it.

Any famous last words?

I wish you all the best in your life. Keep fingers crossed for me in Baku. Grab your phone and vote for me.

www.ninabadric.com

www.facebook.com/NinaBadricOfficial

itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nina-badric/id73629211

What do you think about the song? Would you like to add something about Nina? Please leave a comment…

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Here we have Doc Pittillo from The Guitar Doctor. He told us a very cool story regarding his 1961 Fender Stratocaster.

Doc got this guitar when he was very young, when he just started being interested in music and guitars. The story behind it is very interesting. While he was working on one boat he met a man who was its owner. In their conversation Doc told him that he started playing guitars and that he likes it a lot. The man said that he has a guitar factory. That man was Leo Fender.

This 1961 Fender Stratocaster was one of the first guitars that Leo gave him. The guitar was unfinished, but Doc fixed everything. He said to Vintage & rare that this is one of the best sounding Strats he has ever played.

Doc played this guitar just for Vintage & rare… Watch the video below and hear that special sound. Enjoy!

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It can haunt you in your dreams, and follow you around the entire night and day, it can drive you into countless hours of searching the internet, daydreaming, while listening to Youtube- clips, finding articles, talking to friends.. What am I talking about?…… I am talking about the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard..
Unless you are very wealthy, or extremely lucky, you will not be able to claim your 1959 Burst, since prices are in the big boys league, and have been rising for quite some time. But today´s economy on the other hand, suggests that now, it would be a good time to invest in one, if you have around, 100.000 – 400.000 $ (depending on the condition & originality) to spare for a 1959 Burst.

But!…… If you (like me) don’t have that kind of money, what do you then do?

Since the age of 5 I have played guitar, but at the age of 16, I started to have a great interest in vintage guitars, and  I have always been on the look out for that special guitar.
At first I only looked for vintage Fender Stratocasters because Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, John Norum and Yngwie Malmsteen played on those beat up Strats.
But several years later I got turned on to Gibson.
I had read up on the Gibson Les Paul history and of course stumbled upon the 1959 Burst…. The holy grail of guitars. So I set out to get myself one of those;).
Not surprisingly that did not happen or should  I say, has not happened yet. But I came across this series of guitars that apparently should be very very good. And they were affordable!

The Gibson Les Paul heritage series standard 80!

Starting the 59 reissue era

It all started back in the late 70´s when different shops requested Gibson to make a guitar that had the same features as the 1959 Les Paul Standard, the first models that Gibson attempted to build were far from the real deal. But at some point the Nashville factory set out to release the Heritage Series 80.

The Heritage Series Standard 80

Production started early in 1980 and ended late in 1982. There were between 2-3000 of these guitars built, I have conflicting info on this matter, however most people recognize 2000 to be the right number. The author of this article do not know the exact number, so if any of you have that information we will be more than happy to hear from you.
The Heritage series standard 80, was not completely true to the Gibson 1959 Burst in a lot of ways, but all guitars were made with no weight relief or tone chambers, and they are solid body guitars.
There were 3 types of Gibson Les Paul Heritage Series Standard 80. The Standard, The Elite and The Award.

Here is a quick overview of the general specs on those guitars. Generally all of the models mentioned below feature a sharper horn at the cutaway than the original 1959 Les paul.

Colours vary from Cherry Burst- Honey Burst- “Lemon Dropish” – Black – Wine Red – Goldtop.
However most were coloured in the CherryBurst and the HoneyBurst. Black- Wine Red- Goldtop only exist in very small numbers. (personally I have only seen 3 Goldtops, 2 Black, 1 Wine Red in my search and they were all Standards).

Heritage series standard 80 / Standard model

• One piece Maghogany Body
• Tops range from regular plain top to really flamy.
• 3 piece Maghogany neck medium to semi big profile.
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Trapeze mother of pearl inlay
• Narrow binding in the cut away.
• Grover kidney tuners.
• 2 Tim Shaw designed Humbuckers
• Neckplate says Heritage series standard – 80.
• Back of headstock has regular serial number and 4 extra digits underneath, and a “made in the U.S.A” stamp. all numbers and letters are stamped into the neck

Heritage series standard 80 / Elite model.

• One piece Maghogany Body
• quilted tops
• 1 piece Maghogany neck neck medium to semi big profile.
• Ebony  Fingerboard
• Trapeze mother of pearl inlay
• Narrow binding in the cut away.
• Grover kidney tuners.
• 2 Tim Shaw designed Humbuckers
• Neckplate says Heritage series standard – 80 Elite.
• Back of headstock has regular serial number and 4 extra digits underneath, and a “made in the U.S.A” stamp. all numbers and letters are stamped into the neck

Heritage Series / Award model

• Same as the Elite. with a few exceptions.
• Tops are quilt or flame
• Features a plate on the back of the neck with a number
• The neckplate says Heritage Award
• The  guitar was fitted with gold hardware.
• About 50 of these where made.
• These were given to the sellers that could sell the most guitars from this line. I have seen about 5 for sale the last 5 years.

The odd crossover 80 / Elite and Award models

Since the Elite and Award have ebony fingerboards, they are somewhat a freak crossover between a Gibson les paul custom and a standard/ reissue. But a good  odd crossovers I mind you!. They are excellent guitars and plays very smoothly. But in terms of getting close to the original 59 burst they are far from close. However fitted with the Tim Shaw PAF-clone humbucker pickups, they have a very warm and true vintage  sound to them. Soundwise I would compare them to a 1957 Les Paul Custom fitted with P.A.F pickups. They have a bit more edge to the tone than the rosewood Standard.

The Tim Shaw P.A.F recreation
Gibson had Tim Shaw to recreate the famous P.A.F pickups, and his determination to recreate an exact copy of the P.A.F pickup drove him into investigating how the coils were spun,, which magnets they used, how many windings etc. Tim Shaw was very meticulous about the design of these pickups, and he managed to produce a very close clone to the original P.A.F pickup. They go by the name of “Shawbuckers” or “TimBuckers” in the collectors society, and they fetch a fair amount of money when they get sold on various sites and auctions. These pickups are marked with numbers underneath, 137 being the neck pick up with less windings, and 138 being the bridge pickup with more windings. There is also a date after the first 3 numbers so lets say a pickup would read 1370581 then its a neck pickup made in May 1981.

Serialization and identification

The serialization on these Gibsons is the system that Gibson used from 1977-2005
The pattern is YDDDYPPP. And you decode it this way.
Y        =   First number in year.     (10´s)
DDD  =   Number of day in that year.
Y       =    Second number in year  (1´s)
PPP  =    Place of production (001-499 = Kalamazoo, 500-999 = Nashville)

Lets say you have 82760599 ( 82760599 )stamped on your neck.
That means your guitar was made in 1980 on the 276th. day in the Nashville plant

The additional  4 digits below the serialnumber, do not have any code, they were random numbers that was stamped into the neck to show that this guitar was part of a limited guitar run.

The Heritage series 80 is fairly easy to pick out from the crowd, and it is pretty easy to determine whether or not it is an original guitar you have in your hands.

I have a small checklist inside my head that hopefully can help you out.

1. Back of the headstock has a normal serial number and 4 extra digits.
2. Grover Tuners.
3. Neckplate states  Gibson Heritage series standard 80 / – Elite / or Heritage Award.
4. Nickel hardware.
5. Pickups must have the “TimBucker/Shawbucker” code.
6. Serialnumber must be in the 1980-1982 range*.

*I have seen 1 Heritage 80 Les Paul with a very early 1983 serial number which indicates that they made the very last ones in early 1983. But I cant say if that guitar was 100% original, since it was a listing on an auction site.
History books and information from Gibson states that production years was 1980-1982.

If you want to make sure everything is original, look for faded plastic parts and worn nickel hardware, check for screwholes that shouldn´t be there, and take a look inside the cavities..
Finally if you are in doubt, bring a camera, and take some shots of the guitar, that way you can post them in forums, and I´m sure people will help you out.

The feel… The tone….

My hunt for the holy grail will never stop I guess, but so far I have had great success in my quest for the classic Gibson tone.
I have found an instrument that really inspires me, and sounds so good, that I look forward to play my trusted Gibson Heritage series standard 80´s everytime.
The thrill is, that since these guitars probably never will reach a “darling” status with the collectors, there is hope that they will stay in current pricerange more or less. You can get a fair condition Heritage Series standard 80 for around 3500 $, the better ones with nicer tops generally go for a bit more, and then there are the “collector” ones in mint condition which is set at a even higher price.
The thing is that this series of guitars was intended to fill a hole in Gibson´s line of guitars, because a lot of players and dealers wanted a reissue 1959 burst, so there was a demand for this type of guitar.
And even though they missed out on a fair amount of details, which resulted in Gibson not getting as close to a real 1959 Les Paul standard as they  intended, these guitars are truely excellent. And I´m personally grateful  that they are  not 100% perfect clones of a 1959 burst, if they were, you couldn´t buy them with my kind of money.
But the most important thing about  these guitars is, than when you pick up a Heritage series standard 80, you just know that you have a very good and special guitar in your hands.

In my opinion The Gibson Les Paul Heritage series standard 80 is by far superior to the build- quality that Gibson offers today, at least in the price range  of a secondhand Heritage series standard 80.
The more expensive ones that Gibson builds today,of course has another feel to them.  I have tried some recent reissue Les Pauls that blew me away, I remember in particular a Sunburst washed cherry 1960 R0 that just kept singing, but the price was way over my budget, I remember it being 42.000 Danish Kroner ( appr. 5600 Euro / 7400 $).
I wouldnt mind getting my hands on one of those, but on the other hand I just like the feel of a 30 + year old Guitar. And I feel that with todays prices, I might as well spend 3-4.000 $ on a guitar that I know will conquer my heart, and I still will be able to take out to gigs in small clubs or bigger venues, without worrying too much about the accidents waiting to happen.

Introducing myself and final thoughts
My name is Henrik Berger, Im a guitarplayer/singer/writer from Denmark, and I have been playing guitar since the age of  5, my biggest influences are  Eric Johnson, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Steve Lukather, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum, Gary Moore and of course  the late great Jimi Hendrix. When I turned 16 years old I started to have a great interest in vintage guitars, and  I have always been on the look out, for that special guitar.
At first I only looked out for vintage Fender Stratocasters because Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, John Norum and Yngwie Malmsteen played on those beat up Strats.
But several years later I got turned on to Gibson.
It all started with a 1972 Gibson SG special, then I got a 1977 SG Standard. Then I flirted with the Les Paul, and had a 1976 Les Paul Goldtop Deluxe, which honestly wasn’t a great guitar, so I decided to buy a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom (Black Beauty).
The Les Paul custom was a better guitar but still “it” wasn’t there, and by  that time I had read up on the Gibson Les Paul history and of course stumbled upon the 1959 Burst…. The holy grail of guitars. I didnt have the money so I discovered the Heritage series standard 80.
I have always collected guitars, but “collected” in the sense of having some guitars to take out to gigs and make use of them.
All my guitars are in players condition, some even beaten close to death, because I played so many gigs on them. I just love to I bring my Heritage series standard 80 Les paul to a club job, and take my 80-Elite  alongside for backups, without having second thoughts about it.
The only thing that I always think about though is when bringing my Heritage 80´s on the road I will always place them securely in a guitarstand, Fenders tend to uphold if they are knocked over, Gibson´s don´t;).

In my point of view a Heritage Series 80 Standard, is one of the best options out there, if you are looking for that Burst tone on a budget. You get the feel and sound of a vintage instrument, they may not be the perfect clone, but feel- and soundwise they come pretty darn close if you ask me. And you just now that you are holding a great guitar in your hands when you pick up a Heritage series Les Paul .
And should you decide to sell it at some point ( I bet you wont you probably won´t lose a lot of money…. maybe you will gain some instead.
So go out and grab yourself a great player!

All the best
Henrik Berger

This article is  written entirely by myself, I would however like give credit to  “Gruhns guide to vintage guitars” written by George Gruhn and Walter Carter, and to Mike Slubowski for giving me some of the  knowlegde about these guitars and all the other 59 reissues out there. I would also like to thank Søren Larsen for taking the time to read correcteur on this piece.

This article and the media connected to it ,is owned by Henrik Berger. Please ask for permission before reproducing anything from it.

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Here we have Dan from Chelsea Guitars in his shop in New York. He is talking about a Fender 1949/1951 Telecaster Broadcaster Nocaster Vintage Guitar.

Sam Hutton was the guy who worked for Fender building amplifiers for 35 years. He had a guitar that he would test the amps out with. George Fullerton one day came and said to Sam that the guitar was really valuable and he shouldn’t leave it hanging on a nail with a string; he should put it in the will for his son. So time goes by, Sam passes away and his son has this guitar. This was in 1998.

It is hard to believe now that very few people knew about really early Esquires or Fenders. The first ones where made of pine. Also they don’t have a trussrod so they are really interesting. Dan thinks that there where maybe five guys in the USA that knew something about these guitars. This guitar is really unusual 0009, it is probably the six one made. This one is really unique, it doesn’t look like much. When Dan got it he was thinking about repainting it. The color is 1950’s Studabaker Red.

They figured out that Leo Fender used this one as a test-ban. First five guitars basically are Esquires, either red or black, pine body, no trussrod. Gibson was coming out with the gold top with two pickups. So Leo decided to do something. That is why Leo made this pickup which is very handmade looking. This is one of the first guitars that has two pickups.

For the rest of the story, watch the video below. Enjoy!

Chelsea Guitars, USA

If you love old, classic guitars you owe it to yourself to check this place out. The place is tiny; basically what you see in the display window is most of what they got. Go inside and it’s like dropping in to a friend’s apartment, albeit a tiny apt. But it’s cool; Dan and whoever else is there are just hanging out. If you need help, they’re glad to do it but if you just want to hang, they’ll give you space.

Would you like to add something more? Please leave a comment…

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“I was deeply moved by the brilliant melodies and the sensitive way in which they were performed.”

Lex de Azevedo

Golden Globe nominee

We couldn’t agree more. Jon Schmidt is a New age classical pianist and composer. He began songwriting at age 11 and currently he works with Steven Sharp Nelson on a project called The Piano Guys. Vintage & Rare had a great opportunity to talk to Jon. Enjoy!

Could you please tell us a bit about how you got into playing music in the first place? Do you remember any specific moments that sparked your interest in music and playing the piano?

I began playing at 7 and I was trained classically. My older sister, who was an amazing pianist, was my piano teacher. I struggled through the first few years of learning to read notes and learning to play. Until ithe 5th grade when a teacher named Marsha McBride challenged me to learn Mozart’s variations of ”Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. At the time it really challenged me. I took it home and mastered it.

She had me perform it for the class and they loved it. That was the first spark that made me realize that I loved the piano and that I loved performing for people. From then on I began to play for fun and began composing around 11. I won a school competition (PTA reflections) at 13 and have been going strong since then. One of my most popular tune, ”Waterfall”, was composed at the age of 17.

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Nicolai from Vintage & Rare visited Doc Pittillo in The Guitar Doctor workshop in Fountain Valley in Orange County, CA. Doc presented  his Early 1956 Gretsch Chet Atkins.

You are looking at interesting Gretsch. Most people think it is a roundup because of the western motive and the inlays, just the way it is set up. But this one is actually either late 1955 or the beginning of 1956. There was an ad that came out for the first Chet Atkins signature guitar. This guitar is the first Chet Atkins. After this one he went to what Doc believes was the 6129 style shortly thereafter and started working on his own models. This is a very rare bird. Randy Bachman was the one who told Doc what that was and what the story was.

This guitar has got all the roundup accoutrements, western belt buckle on the side. It is red, it is made just like a duo jet this particular one. Doc had this guitar for thirty years. He said that this thing is an absolute monster. It just does some paddle steely stuff that nothing else does. Guys like Billy Zoom play this, Sha Na Na guys, Chuck Berry used this guitar in the past.

Enjoy the video!

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Steven Sharp Nelson is a cello player, more popular for playing with Jon Schmidt in The Piano Guys. Music is his passion, way of expressing, way of living. His videos are watched by more than half a million viewers daily, and since 2011, many have been among the top 10 music videos in the world. Check out what Steven said to Vintage & Rare about his music. After reading don’t forget to visit YouTube and find it yourself.

Could you please tell us a bit about how you got into playing music in the first place? Do you remember any specific moments that sparked your interest in music and playing the cello?

I got into playing music because I have parents that are very musical, they are both classically trained and accomplished musicians. I had this great blessing to have a father that understands and appreciates the intellectual side of music. He is a very intelligent man. He taught me about how deep classical music can be, how much there is to explore and discover about it. And then I also had the other side with my mother who yes, understood music, but loved it and lived it. She was a very accomplished singer; my father was a sting player, a violist. When she sang, it was like an angel. She could sing with so much personality and so much charisma, so much passion. I wanted that, I wanted to be able to accomplish that. I am still working on that.

My parents were very influential. My father actually required all of us as children to play a classical instrument. As a young boy, I wasn’t sure how much I like that idea at first. My father started me on violin when I was seven and I did not like it. He let me give it up at eight but then the very next day, he brought home a cello. And there was something different about the cello for me. Even at eight years old, I could tell that there was some kind of special connection that I had with an instrument, as if I played it somehow in a life before. I don’t know how to describe it. It was like meeting, resuming a long lost friendship; I guess that is the way to describe it.

Which musicians or bands have been your greatest inspirations? Is there any artist you would like to work with?

My greatest inspirations have been musicians that have found the way to explore new sounds and created the sound of their own and invite people into that kind of music. Specifically, I love what Bobby McFerrin has done with music. I love what Victor Borge has done with music, I wish he was still around. I love comedy and music together. So I admire Victor Borge and people like Peter Schickele who created P. D. Q. Bach.

When I was in high school I loved the band U2, I loved Sting who was so good at exploring so many different kinds of music and such a great songwriter. And of course I loved classical music. Beethoven and Dvořák were my two favorite composers growing up, and they were inspirations to me. I loved Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo Ma has this gift for playing music passionately and being a real person, accessible personality and being able to portray that personality while he performs. I would like to collaborate one day with him.

If we were talking about professional sports, Yo-Yo Ma would be an NBA basketball player and I would be the water boy on my high school basketball team. That is how different our skills are. He is so amazing; I love how he approaches to music. My dream would be to collaborate with him or Sting or Bobby McFerrin.

What do you enjoy the most about playing the cello? Could you please tell us about the cello you are using?

I love the cello because I feel it is one of the most versatile instruments in the world. It can sore very high and melodically and it can growl angrily, down low. Its range is like the human vocal range. It is very relatable instrument. I have done things with cello that I could never do with any other instruments. I use it as a drum, I use it as a guitar, I can come up with all sorts of sound effects. When I use my electric cello and plug it into effects pedals, all the sudden it is electric guitar. There is so much versatility and there is beauty to the cello and there is still the power and aggression that you can have when you are trying to create different mood.

I have nine cellos, five acoustic and four electric. The electric cellos are cellos that I have had custom made for me and my acoustic cellos are all different. You can’t really necessarily say: ‘’Ok, I want to play cello. What brand should I play?’’ If cellos are made on assembly line or mass produced, they generally are not good instruments. What are you looking for in a cello is one that is handmade. That is why there is not necessarily any brand that you are after. All my cellos are made by different makers and each of them has their own purpose. I have got a five string electric cello that has an extra string that is higher, and I have one that has an extra string that is lower so I can even have a wider range.

I have got an acoustic cello that is reinforced on the interior so that I can bang it like a drum without breaking it. And I have got a cello that is beautiful, that I only use for melodic lines. So there are different purposes for the cellos that I have. I also got a new six string cello that I haven’t yet introduced on our YouTube channel; I am excited to introduce it. I also have a steel cello, made entirely of steel, that is going to be introduced in our next video.

How did you meet Jon Schmidt and the other from The Piano Guys?

Jon Schmidt and I went to the same high school; we grew up in the same area. But he is ten years older. I met him, however, when I was 15 years old. On the stage, he was performing with another artist that I was performing with, so he was a mutual friend of ours. I liked his music a lot so I asked him if I could play on his music. I was 15 years old; I couldn’t even drive to the concerts. He hesitated at first just because I was a kid but he was awesome about giving me the opportunity to play with him. Rest is history.

Gradually over time I have been playing more and more songs with him and I have got a vocal mike and we started bantering back and forth on concerts. Now we are writing all the songs together, we are joined act now which is really exciting. Jon is such a great guy. He is so fun to work with, very talented musician. I’ve loved being able to work with him. The other Piano guys… I was actually introduced through Jon to Paul Anderson, who started The Piano Guys and Tel Stewart who is the main videographer and editor. They have been doing some simple videos with Jon before I met them.

The Cello song was our first project with The Piano Guys. Al van der Beek came up to me and introduced himself and said: ‘’Hey, I have a studio and I write music, do you ever want to collaborate?’’. At first I brushed him off. I felt really bad, but I get approached a lot and I didn’t want to give him any false expectations. But he is the coolest guy. He is so much fun to write music with. We write all of our tunes together now. I record in his studio, that is where it all happens, just down the street where I live. That was a couple years ago that we met up, when I moved to this neighborhood where I am, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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