Ric Hordinski to Open For California Guitar Trio 10/3

Acclaimed local guitarist Ric Hordinski has been added as the opening act for the upcoming Cincinnati engagement of The California Guitar Trio (CGT) at the Aronoff Center's intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater for one night only on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 8:00 PM. The concert is presented by the Cincinnati Arts Association as the first presentation in its 2013-14 Season.

All tickets are $30 and are on sale now at www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 369-4363. Ticket prices/fees subject to change.

Ric Hordinski

Years before Radiohead put Sigur Rós on the map, Ric (pronounced "Rich") Hordinski was painting soundscapes with his first band, the cult-favorites, Over the Rhine. His instrumental interludes and echo-laden guitar contributed to the band's rich, layered sound. Since leaving OTR, Ric has appeared on records with John Mayer, David Wilcox, Ben Harper, Richard Thompson, Tony Levin, Bill Kreutzmann, Victor Wooten, Victoria Williams. Robbie Fulks, and many others. As a live performer, he's shared the stage with a dizzying array of musicians: Johnny Cash, Moby, Bob Dylan, My Morning Jacket, Indigo Girls, and many others. He's produced award-winning records for a host of folks including Over the Rhine, David Wilcox, and Phil Keaggy. On his own, hiding behind the Monk moniker, he released six independent records that featured alternately the songwriting craft he honed during his eight years in OTR, the ambient guitar that garnered demand as a studio musician, and the ear for songcraft that makes him an excellent producer. He seems to be one of the few musicians able to straddle comfortably the distance between ground-breaking avant-garde explorations (witness his association with people like David Torn) and truly beautiful pop music. Paste Musichas called him "the rarest kind of virtuoso, the kind who knows when not to play." This penchant for understatement has its rewards: Ric received a Grammy nomination in 2003.

California Guitar Trio

With astounding performances and unparalleled diversity, these three revered musicians are not actually natives of the "Golden State." The California Guitar Trio (CGT) is Bert Lams from Belgium, Hideyo Moriya from Japan, and Paul Richards from Utah. Together, their technical wizardry is breathtaking, as is the wide range of instrumental music the group renders - everything from unique originals to dazzling, cleverly-arranged interpretations of rock, jazz, classical music, world music, and even surf rock. CGT's relentless passion for following the muse has served it well. The acoustic group's fearless multi-genre explorations have driven fourteen albums and nearly 1,500 gigs across its 22-year career.

The trio met while participating in Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft courses in 1987. They first toured together as part of Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists, an orchestra of acoustic players that served as exponents of the King Crimson founder's teachings, compositions, and performance approach. In 1991, they founded the California Guitar Trio, which initially gained notoriety opening for the likes of King Crimson, John McLaughlin, and David Sylvian. They have fans in high places too: the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour used their pieces as wake-up music.

Since their inception in 1991, the Trio has released 14 CDs: nine studio albums (including a Christmas record), three live releases (including An Opening Act from their 1995 worldwide tour with King Crimson), and two compilations. On screen, CGT can be seen in the documentary Following the Music: On The Road with California Guitar Trio (©2004 Stone Chapel Films) and the new hi-def multi-camera shoot of an intimate house concert in 2009.

In October 2010, the California Guitar Trio released Andromeda, an entirely new all-original album nearly three years in the making. It was named Best Instrumental Album that year by the Indie Acoustic Project. CGT's most recent album, Masterworks, focuses exclusively on classical music, featuring works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Arvo Pärt, Shubert, and Vivaldi. Accompanying the trio on the project are Tony Levin on upright bass and cello, and Fareed Haque on classical guitar.

For more information, visit the CGT website at www.cgtrio.com.