Search - Gary Lucas & God And Monsters :: The Ordeal Of Civility

'The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero' returns! Produced by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) Featuring Billy Ficca (Television) & Ernie Brooks (The Modern Lovers)! World class guitar hero, Grammy-nominated songwriter, international recording artist with over 20 acclaimed albums to date, and soundtrack composer for film and television, Gary Lucas is on the move in 2011! He is releasing a new studio recording with his psychedelic super-group Gods and Monsters. Described as 'an underground rock fan s dream team' by the New Yorker, Gods and Monsters features Gary on guitar and vocals, Billy Ficca (Television) on drums, Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers) on bass, Jason Candler (Hungry March Band) on alto and tenor sax, and Joe Hendel on trombone and keyboards. The Ordeal of Civility is a razor-sharp effort reflecting Lucas and co.'s sensibilities without sacrifice or concession. Gods & Monsters has featured many notable figures in its ranks over its long history including the late Jeff Buckley. During his tenure in Gods & Monsters, Gary and Jeff wrote two of Buckley's most famous songs Grace and Mojo Pin. The former became the title track and opener track on Jeff's double platinum Sony album Grace which MOJO magazine recently named the #1 Modern Classic Rock Album. Their collaborations can also be heard on the Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas album Songs to No One, which charted internationally with worldwide sales approaching 100,000. Dubbed The Thinking Man's Guitar Hero by The New Yorker, The world's most popular avant-rock guitarist by The Independent (UK), Legendary leftfield guitarist by The Guardian (UK), Guitarist of 1000 Ideas by The New York Times, a true axe God by Melody Maker (UK), and One of the five best guitarists in the world by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny, the British world music magazine fRoots 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' Gary was selected by the editors of DownBeat Magazine as one of their 'Hot 66 6-Stringers'. He was recently cited as one of the '100 Greatest Living Guitarists' in Classic Rock magazine (UK). Gary Lucas incredible resume also includes five years spent playing with his childhood hero, the visionary avant-garde vocalist/composer/bandleader Captain Beefheart. Gary's childhood dream of joining Beefheart's band came true when he recorded two Captain Beefheart albums in the early 80 s on Virgin Records, Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982), which featured his explosive solo renditions of Don Van Vliet's twisted instrumental compositions, 'Flavor Bud Living' and 'Evening Bell' about which the latter piece Esquire wrote 'Gary Lucas apparently grew extra fingers in order to negotiate his way through it'. These recordings put Gary on the musical map as a force to be reckoned with, and laid the groundwork for his subsequent career. Lucas is currently taking his Captain Beefheart Symposium on the road to celebrate the visionary genius of his late mentor Don Van Vliet. In the years since, Gary Lucas has released over 20 highly acclaimed albums in various different genres (psychedelic rock, solo acoustic, world music, electronic dance, rock-jazz, classical, ambient), played as a guest on over 50 other albums, and has toured relentlessly, performing in over 40 countries around the world, from Tokyo to Tel Aviv - solo, with his various ensembles, and providing live scores to a variety of films.