| General Information |
Reeves Gabrels will go down as one of the true originals in the guitar-hero pantheon, even as his fusion of fretwork and computer processing questions and redefines that instrument's very place in the rock canon. A furious cut-and-paster in the studio and an evil genius of atonal improvisation on stage, Gabrels explores sonic extremes with a great, adaptive intuition for what each song needs most. Among those who know him at all, he is either loved or hated but never ignored; this alone guarantees his staying power. After an apprenticeship in several Boston-area indie bands, Gabrels was put in the spotlight -- and hot seat -- as head axeman for David Bowie's controversial Tin Machine project. He has resurfaced as the musical director for Bowie's late '90s electronica-derived comeback. In between, he released one of the most engaging -- and overlooked -- alterna-pop albums of the decade, The Sacred Squall of Now. Behind the scenes but influential, you'll be hearing a lot more from him -- whether or not you know it's him you're hearing.
-- Adam McGovern, Encyclopedia of Rock
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