Gary Lucas

Gary Lucas is a world class guitar hero, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, an international recording artist, and a soundtrack composer for film and television. The performance at Ki Smith gallery will feature special appearances by the incredible Tammy Faye Starlite and Barry Reynolds!!

Gary Lucas, the former Captain Beefheart guitarist has recorded over 50 acclaimed albums to date in his own right in a variety of genres—jazz, rock, classical, folk, blues, avant-garde and world music—and has performed in over 40 countries

Gary has received several Lifetime Achievement awards for his songwriting with Jeff Buckley (he co-wrote Jeff's anthems "Grace" and "Mojo Pin") and many honors—including performing solo before the General Assembly of the UN to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

He has performed and collaborated with a who's who of musical luminaries, including Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Jeff Buckley, Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed, John Cale, Patti Smith, Chris Cornell, Bryan Ferry, Nona Hendryx, Los Van Van, Bob Weir, Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Lukas Ligeti, Martha Wainwright, Camille O'Sullivan, Steve Kilbey, and many others, and he has given Masterclasses in guitar and songwriting at his alma mater Yale University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, the Amsterdam Musik Conservatorium, the Henri Dutilleux Conservatoire in Paris, The New School, and other academic institutions.

Dubbed "The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero" by The New Yorker, "The world's most popular avant-rock guitarist" by The Independent (UK), "One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists" (Classic Rock), "Legendary Leftfield guitarist" by The Guardian (UK), "Guitarist of 1000 Ideas" by The New York Times, "a true axe God" by Melody Maker, and "One of the five best guitarists in the world" by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny; the British world music magazine Roots recently described Gary Lucas as "without question, the most innovative and challenging guitarist playing today." Rolling Stone's David Fricke wrote: "Gary Lucas is one of the best and most original guitarists in America...a modern guitar miracle." Best-selling author/producer Dan Levitin ("This Is Your Brain On Music") recently cited Gary as "the greatest living electric guitarist". Gary was also dubbed "one of the world's greatest guitar players" by HITS Magazine. Pete Frame, music journalist, founder/editor of legendary UK music magazine ZigZag, and author/creator of 5 volumes of "Rock Family Trees" said of Gary, "Can there be another musician as adventurous, ingenious, accomplished, diverse, intrepid, hard-working and well-travelled as Gary Lucas?"

Quotes about Gary Lucas:

"You're a phenomenal guitarist" —Bruce Springsteen"Man can play guitar!" —Captain Beefheart"I could listen to you play for hours, Gary...beyond cool" —Lou Reed"An incredible guitarist" —Nick Cave"Man, you were really wailing!" —Leonard Bernstein"Magical guitarness...I carry Gary in my fingers" —Jeff Buckley"One of the best and most original guitarists in America...a modern guitar miracle" —Rolling Stone"The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero…an A-list musician" —The New Yorker"One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists" —Classic Rock Magazine"One of the world's greatest guitarists" —HITS Magazine"Legendary left-field guitarist" —The Guardian"Gary Lucas plays guitar like Salvador Dali paints...guitarist with a global beat." —New York Times"Can there be another musician as adventurous, ingenious, accomplished, diverse, intrepid, hard-working and well-travelled as Gary Lucas?" —Pete Frame, music journalist, founder/editor of legendary UK music magazine ZigZag, and author/creator of 5 volumes of "Rock Family Trees"