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Barry Cleveland
For more than 25 years, Barry Cleveland's epic compositions and virtuoso, eclectic guitar work have been celebrated by critics and listeners alike. His fifth album Hologramatron, is a timely progressive rock and world fusion statement.
Hologramatron is a 21st Century protest record with songs featuring biting, sometimes brutal, commentary on the state of the Western world. It’s a musical response to contemporary social, political, and even spiritual realities. The disc draws inspiration from a musical continuum spanning art rock, psychedelia, metal, ambient, world music, trance, and funk.
The cast of players joining Cleveland comprises some of the most respected musicians of the avant-rock scene, including bass innovator Michael Manring, drummer and percussionist Celso Alberti (Steve Winwood), pedal-steel iconoclast Robert Powell (Peter Gabriel, Jackson Browne), vocalists Amy X Neuburg, Deborah Holland (Stanley Clarke, Stewart Copeland), and Harry Manx. Other renowned contributors include Turkish electro-acoustic guitarist Erdem Helvacioglu, percussionists Gino Robair and Rick Walker, and cymbalom master Michael Masley, a.k.a. the infamous “Artist General.”
In addition to the eight original songs on Hologramatron, there are two covers—Malvina Reynolds’ anti-nuclear proliferation anthem “What Have They Done to the Rain” and Joe Meek’s iconic “Telstar.” Bonus tracks include remixes by Evan Schiller (“Lake of Fire”) and Forrest Fang (“Abandoned Mines”), as well as an alternate mix of “You’ll Just Have to See It to Believe.” Grammy Award-winning engineer John Cuniberti mastered the album.
Cleveland is all about sound—from his guitar playing to his compositions to his production—and it’s the deeply layered, highly nuanced, cutting-edge sonics that unify his wildly diverse material. Cleveland’s earlier work was more ambient and impressionistic (Mythos, released on Larry Fast’s Audion label, received rave reviews in Option, Jazziz, and Stereo Review) and his last recording explored instrumental world fusion (Volcano garnered accolades in All About Jazz, Abstract Logix, Innerviews, and Progression)—but Hologramatron pushes multiple musical envelopes simultaneously.
In addition to playing acoustic and electric 6- and 12-string guitars on Hologramatron, Cleveland utilized a prototype of the revolutionary Moog Guitar and both acoustic and electric GuitarViols—hybrid bowed instruments tuned like a guitar—along with myriad effects processors and alternative playing devices such as a Chinese erhu bow, Masley Bowhammers, and the Ebow.
Extended Bio
Cleveland released his first commercial album on Larry Fast's Audion Recording Company label in 1986. Mythos combined layers of guitar with Bob Stohl and Kat Epple's woodwinds, synthesizers, and light percussion; and Michael Masley's otherworldly bowhammer cymbalom.
Voluntary Dreaming, released on Scarlet Records in 1989, also met with critical acclaim. The music had an electronic edge—Cleveland played samplers and synths in addition to electric and acoustic guitars—but also encroached upon world music territory with the addition of Michael Pluznick's African and Middle Eastern percussion. Michael Masley's bowhammer cymbalom, and Robert Powell's pedal-steel guitar, added exotic harmonic and melodic touches.
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In their 2023 offering, Friends, The Electromags deliver a smorgasbord of instrumental rock that is as rich in variety as it is in talent. Think of it as a musical potluck, where every guest brings their best dish to the table. The thirteen tracks on this album are like thirteen assorted flavors of rock, each with its unique twist. It is a bit like a rock 'n' roll buffet, and everyone's invited. Leading this eclectic ensemble ...
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![Read "Fractal Guitar 2" reviewed by Mark Sullivan](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/a26d0a0f215dcb3b6fe20db34dd1e032.jpg)
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read moreTake Five With Barry Cleveland
![Read "Take Five With Barry Cleveland" reviewed by AAJ Staff](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
by AAJ Staff
Meet Barry Cleveland: Barry Cleveland's guitar playing is rooted in progressive and psychedelic rock, branching into ambient, experimental, funk, and various ethnic styles--enhanced by cutting-edge electronics and unorthodox playing techniques. He's also a deft engineer and producer with an iconoclastic approach to recording and mixing. Cleveland released his first commercial album--Mythos--on Larry Fast's Audion Recording Company label in 1986, followed by the more electronic Voluntary Dreaming in 1989. Most of the material on these two albums was ...
read moreBarry Cleveland: Hologramatron
![Read "Hologramatron" reviewed by Mark Redlefsen](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/hologramatron_cover_web.jpg)
by Mark Redlefsen
Hologramatron is an imaginative progressive rock-oriented release by guitarist Barry Cleveland. Proficient technique commands attention throughout the entire CD, alongside Cleveland's writing, and arranging of the entire set. The songs are rich in sonic texture, and with panoptic social political messages that require a close listen. Cleveland recruited a number of responsive talented players to communicate with the proper chops and phrases on Hologramatron. Robert Powell's pedal steel and lap-steel guitars play foil to--and yet also blend ...
read moreBarry Cleveland: Beyond Convention
![Read "Barry Cleveland: Beyond Convention" reviewed by Anil Prasad](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/2010/barrycleveland2010_100x100.jpg)
by Anil Prasad
The personal is the political for guitarist and composer Barry Cleveland. That perspective is evident on Hologramatron (MoonJune, 2010), his new album featuring songs that serve as a response to the socio-political and religious narratives woven by the voices dominating today's 24-hour news cycles. Cleveland is unafraid of telling it exactly as he sees it, with lyrics that delve deep into the paradoxical viewpoints that inform the morass of modern partisan discourse.Hologramatron is only predictable in its unpredictability. ...
read moreRenowned Music Journalist Barry Cleveland Launches The Lodge
![Renowned Music Journalist Barry Cleveland Launches The Lodge](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
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Barry Cleveland
Veteran music journalist and former Guitar Player magazine editor Barry Cleveland has launched The Lodge, a new online music publication featuring in-depth interviews with some of today’s most forward-thinking artists, music reviews, videos, and geeky recording tips and techniques. Cleveland reviews new releases by John McLaughlin, Ben Monder, Sonar, Orion Tango, and Kevin Kastning in his latest post, all of which include audio examples. Cleveland’s debut feature interview is with iconoclastic guitarists Mark Wingfield and Kevin Kastning. who discuss their ...
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Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques — New Video And V3 E-book Unveiled
![Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques — New Video And V3 E-book Unveiled](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
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Barry Cleveland
“When I began researching my book I had no idea that Joe Meek’s recording concepts and techniques had basically turned the ’50s and ’60s British studio world upside down,” says Barry Cleveland, author of Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques. “Many of the things Meek did were revolutionary—and often considered wrong—at the time, but have now been so thoroughly integrated into everyday practice that they are taken for granted.” This new video provides an overview: Joe Meek’s best-known recording, “Telstar,” topped the ...
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Barry Cleveland Publishes Hardcover Second Edition Of Cult Classic Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques
![Barry Cleveland Publishes Hardcover Second Edition Of Cult Classic Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
Veteran music journalist Barry Cleveland (currently an editor at Guitar Player magazine) has published the Second Edition of his now cult classic, Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques, in a large-sized hardcover print edition, available via the author’s website, and Amazon.com. Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques updates the 2001 print edition, and features a new Introduction, an additional chapter, and a newly restored and remastered version of Meek’s legendary 1959 stereo album about life on the Moon, I Hear a New World. Joe ...
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Barry Cleveland Reissues Critically Acclaimed 1986 "Mythos" Album
![Barry Cleveland Reissues Critically Acclaimed 1986 "Mythos" Album](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
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Barry Cleveland
Originally released on Larry Synergy" Fast's legendary Audion Recording Company label in 1986, Mythos combined Barry Cleveland's processed, layered, and looped guitars with Michael Masley's otherworldly bowhammer cymbalom, and Bob Stohl and Kat Epple's woodwinds, synths, and light percussion. Mythos was, and remains, a great album." —Larry Fast The 2012 reissue of Mythos makes the entire album available for the first time since its original release. It was digitally remastered using state-of-the-art tools to restore and enhance the clarity and ...
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Barry Cleveland Publishes eBook Second Edition of Cult Classic Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques
![Barry Cleveland Publishes eBook Second Edition of Cult Classic Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
Source:
Barry Cleveland
Veteran music journalist Barry Cleveland (currently an editor at Guitar Player magazine) has published the Second Edition of his now cult classic—Joe Meek’s Bold Techniques—as an eBook, available via Apple iBooks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble for $4.99. Joe Meek's Bold Techniques updates the 2001 print edition, and features a new Introduction, an additional chapter, and a newly restored and remastered version of Meek’s legendary 1959 stereo album about life on the Moon, I Hear a New World. Joe Meek ...
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Barry Cleveland Assails Wing Nuts With "Warning" Video Starring The Artist General
![Barry Cleveland Assails Wing Nuts With "Warning" Video Starring The Artist General](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
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Barry Cleveland
Barry Cleveland's video accompaniment to his avant-metal protest song Warning," from the critically acclaimed Hologramatron album on MoonJune Records, facilitates a full-frontal assault on the Corporate Media ("Truth is willing but the press is weak"), Big Oil ("Oilygarchs"), the Military Industrial Complex ("Chickenhawk multi-millionaires"), Climate Change deniers ("The North Pole has melted”), and self-righteous hypocrites of all stripesbefore soaring into metaphysical exegesis ("That's just how it is, that's how it works: the Universe is HUGE!"). The Artist General improvised his ...
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Guitarist Barry Cleveland Interviewed at All About Jazz...and More!
![Guitarist Barry Cleveland Interviewed at All About Jazz...and More!](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
Source:
All About Jazz
The personal is the political for guitarist and composer Barry Cleveland. That perspective is evident on Hologramatron (MoonJune, 2010), his new album featuring songs that serve as a response to the socio-political and religious narratives woven by the voices dominating today's 24-hour news cycles. Cleveland is unafraid of telling it exactly as he sees it, with lyrics that delve deep into the paradoxical viewpoints that inform the morass of modern partisan discourse. Hologramatron is only predictable in its unpredictability. It's ...
read more
Barry Cleveland's "Hologramatron" Submitted For “Best Alternative Music Album” Grammy Award
![Barry Cleveland's "Hologramatron" Submitted For “Best Alternative Music Album” Grammy Award](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/barry-cleveland.jpg)
Source:
Barry Cleveland
New York, N.Y.Barry Cleveland's critically acclaimed Hologramatron has been submitted for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album." Hologramatron is a 21st Century protest record with songs featuring biting, sometimes brutal, commentary on the state of the Western world. It's a musical response to contemporary social, political, and even spiritual realities. The disc draws inspiration from a musical continuum spanning art rock, psychedelia, metal, ambient, world music, trance, and funk. The cast of players joining Cleveland comprises some of ...
read more
Barry Cleveland Reinvents the Protest Album with All-Star Avant-Rock Lineup on "Hologramatron" (Moonjune)
![Barry Cleveland Reinvents the Protest Album with All-Star Avant-Rock Lineup on "Hologramatron" (Moonjune)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/russo1_full_size.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
New York, N.Y. 00 When Barry Cleveland isn't talking guitar with people like Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Ry Cooder, Tony Iommi, and John Frusciante, he's busy recording globally acclaimed progressive rock and world fusion music. For more than 25 years, his epic compositions and virtuoso, eclectic guitar work have been celebrated by critics and listeners alike. And for the last decade, he's served as a key editor at Guitar Player magazine, holding court with the world's most important musicians and ...
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Guitarist Barry Cleveland Releases Volcano and Memory & Imagination CDs
![Guitarist Barry Cleveland Releases Volcano and Memory & Imagination CDs](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/logo/bd38a72ed12128b10ddc05c6087dacb8.jpg)
Source:
All About Jazz
Redwood City, CA, August 17, 2004. Innovative guitarist Barry Cleveland has released two new CDs on Supersaturated Records: Volcano and Memory & Imagination. Cleveland's guitar playing incorporates elements from diverse sources (psychedelia, progressive rock, ambient, electronic, jazz, funk, and a host of world" music styles) and combines them with unusual sounds created using unorthodox playing techniques and electronic processing. Volcano is an explosive mixture of African and Afro-Haitian rhythms and progressive, jazz, ambient, and world music elements, featuring Michael Manring ...
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“Cleveland stitches world fusion, ambient, avant metal, and psychedelia together into a glorious progressive tapestry. This is pretty amazing stuff, and one of the better prog releases this year.” (Score: 15/16)
Warren Barker, Progression
Hologramatron has really bowled me over, so much so that yesterday I had to remain sitting in the car long after I arrived at my destination and long after the complete album had finished playing … An artistic rock album in the best sense of that term, with multilayered influences … Exciting from start to finish … Honestly, this year I have not heard a better album.”
Sal Pichireddu, Babyblaue-Seiten