Wow man. This is a DEEP record! Best thing my ears have heard in a long time! Acoustic music grounds the soul. The playing and compositions and over all sound - touch and taste are just incredible! A surprise at every turn! Just fucking great Andy and please tell the other guys I send deep respect and appreciation for this music! I smell a Grammy boys! Got my vote!
- Steve Lukather
What Andy has put together with this trio is absolutely brilliant! Him, Calum and Trevor mesh seamlessly together and compliment each other’s musical aesthetic perfectly. I always get a sense when I listen to Andy’s music that I’m being ushered along on a euphonious journey and with these three player’s collective creativity on Tripliciti, that couldn’t be more true. Each song evokes such unique visual imagery to where I actually feel like I can ‘see’ the music. The baritone, acoustic and kalimbatar orchestration on ‘Blue Liquid’ sounds amazing and it’s awesome to hear Andy shred some electric guitar on ‘That Old Familiar Pain’ and ‘In Lak Eck’! ‘For My Father’ is just so poetically moving and what I absolutely adore about Andy’s artistry. All of the song arrangements on Tripliciti are lush and layered, the compositions are impassioned, the recording is crisp, full and intimate and the performances by all three guitarists is just phenomenal. Love the nod to Michael Hedges as well. Couldn’t be enjoying it more!
- John Petrucci
Hey Brother! Got up early, put on my headphones and went down that musical path which led me to peace, wonder, intrigue, and unexpected satisfaction. A coming together of three musical souls that long to blend, that have found a way to communicate the message of the song. Telling me the stories with no words or directions, just suggestions. Relaxed, yet intense and worldly. Brave yet simple. That's my first reaction. Love you guys!
- Tommy Emmanuel
About the band:
Piloted by world renowned guitar titan Andy McKee, this fingerstyle supergroup includes rising stars Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall, culminating in a chemistry that captures the imagination and intellect of musicians and non-musicians alike. Tripliciti pushes the edges of acoustic music through dizzying technical command of their instruments, rich sonic textures, memorable melodies and soulful arrangements, offering an igniting live musical experience for audiences around the world that is real, inviting, lasting, tangible and powerful.
Having each individually contributed to the standards of must-know Fingerstyle Guitar repertoire, the merging of these 3 breath-taking solo performers into an electrifying live band leaves no aspect of the guitars' potential out of reach. The inspiration found in traveling as solo acts across the world performing thousands of concerts on various stages from castles in Luxembourg, jazz clubs in Paris, or sports arenas in Brisbane, has merged into a wholly unique sound that blends flavors of Americana, Jazz, Flamenco, New Age, and Rock music ideals. With textures combining steel string guitars, electric guitars, high strung guitars, low pitched baritone guitars, and even a hybrid invention known as the "Kalimbatar", triplicitidoesn't overcomplicate or indulge in the fretboard gymnastics for its own sake but carefully navigates these sounds with creativity, curating every melody, harmony and rhythm for the listener and guiding them into a fully immersive experience that must be heard and seen to be believed. This is a celebration of the history and future of the most iconic instrument in the world still waiting for new sonic and compositional possibilities to be discovered.
About the individual members:
Andy first rose to prominence with one of his compositions entitled "Drifting" becoming one of the very first viral videos on YouTube. "Drifting" and his other video performances went on to amass hundreds of millions of views collectively ushering in a new renaissance of the acoustic guitar tradition pioneered by the late great Michael Hedges. This gave Andy McKee the opportunity to perform thousands of concerts all over the world bringing his signature sound and contribution to this broader guitar tradition of pushing boundaries of the instrument, embracing a diversity of influences, and transcending all language and genre barriers. His command of this universally appreciated style has given him the ability to perform with such diverse acts as Prince, Eric Johnson, and Dream Theater, to name a few.
Having also been raised in the fingerstyle tradition of Michael Hedges, both Calum and Trevor are included in the sea of players that were deeply inspired by Andy's unique combination of composition, technicality, and humility to learn and grow as musicians with hopes of one day making their mark on the world stage. Calum and Trevor's own unique voices on the instrument and songwriting caught Andy's attention, and a musical kinship between the 3 was born. Both Calum and Trevor have continued to cement their own individual solo performing careers around the world, even being selected as part of the "Top 30 Guitarists Under 30" series by Acoustic Guitar magazine along the way.
Calum Graham has a sense of melody that is unmistakable and immediately recognizable. In 2010, he took first place at the International Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar competition as the only teenager to ever win, launching a profound musical journey from performing at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, and again 2 years later at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, to now playing concerts to diehard fans following his vision on every continent.
Trevor Gordon Hall, on top of a touring calendar that's taken him through 17 countries and counting, has a growing discography that has amassed millions of listens and views through Spotify and YouTube, allowing his music to connect across borders and languages. He is widely recognized for his signature sound and invention of the "kalimbatar" — a guitar that includes a customized African finger piano, called the kalimba — and has shared the stage with or drawn admiration from peers and guitar legends ranging from John Mayer and Pat Martino to Will Ackerman, Steve Miller, and Graham Nash.