JL Stiles draws much of his brilliant guitar technique and raw honesty from the blues and ragtime greats yet creates infectious melodic tunes best described as pop-roots. A charismatic and mesmerizing performer, Stiles' vocal timbre and sparkling fi [+]JL Stiles draws much of his brilliant guitar technique and raw honesty from the blues and ragtime greats yet creates infectious melodic tunes best described as pop-roots. A charismatic and mesmerizing performer, Stiles' vocal timbre and sparkling finger style guitar set him apart.
Stiles' third CD, "Land Of The Plenty," contains fourteen diverse songs including thirteen originals displaying Stiles' wide writing range. Like his previous release, "Solo Sessions" (Shoeless 2002), this new record includes a few memorable solo folk songs, but Stiles deftly includes lots of rockin' electric cuts tinged with R&B and funk plus the down home sound of his trio featuring steady bandmates Zach Morris (drums) and Ed Ivey (tuba, bass). One of his show stoppers is his staggering two-handed guitar technique on "Meteors" which expands on the harmonic drumming he employs in "Continuum," a gem off Stiles' first release, "Sanctuary" (Shoeless '99).
Stiles' history is quite unlikely for such a gifted musical craftsman. Raised in Connecticut, he didn't pick up guitar until he was eighteen. He moved to New Orleans in 1991 to earn a masters degree in math but received more of an education in music there, playing local clubs and developing his distinctive style. Stiles moved out to San Francisco in the mid-1990s and has deservingly become a standout performer, frequently appearing both as a solo act and with his band all over the West Coast and on tour in Brasil, Mexico, and Europe.
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