Ian Ethan and the Double-Neck Guitar

New music? I've experienced a fair amount of what might be called new music, and most of it I've found to be unapproachable, boring or annoying. Last Thursday, though, at an impromptu concert at the Christian Science Church in Grass Valley (CA), I experienced new music that was completely enthralling. It was a performance by a new young artist by the name of Ian Ethan, whose principal instrument is the double-neck, 18-string guitar.

Through most of the hour-and-a-half concert I was alternately trying to figure out how he was playing the instrument and amazed at the incredible variety of sounds he coaxed out of it. And then, seeking an even wider variety of sounds, he performed on the fretless guitar and the kalimba. It was a remarkable evening of exploration of pleasant sounds and immersion in a kind of music I had never before experienced. I left with the distinct feeling that my life had been enriched. The others who gave him a standing ovation must have agreed.

Ian is in the early stages of his professional music career, and you'd be lucky if you could catch him at a small, intimate event, such as the one I experienced. I'd urge anyone whose interest is piqued by my experience to visit Ian's website. If you act soon, you'll be able to catch the streaming versions of one or more of his compositions, and I wouldn't fail to view the videos to see this artist at work. He is a virtuoso in a fresh new medium. Next time he performs in Northern California, I'm going to urge friends and family to attend: I know they'll thank me.