MichaelGarfield

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About me:Michael Garfield is on a mission to move you. Not content to merely push the boundaries of acoustic guitar technique – polyphonic fingerpicking, tapping, slapping, live looping, and drumming on the body of the instrument – Michael draws from a world of traditions past, present, and future to deliver songs that are at once totally original and strangely familiar.

Rooted in a dazzling palette of intricate fingerstyle guitar techniques and an expressive, athletic voice, his intense sets turn on a dime between instrumental etudes, dynamic anthems, heart-spearing ballads, and hypnotic acoustic-electronic loopscapes...mind-altering solo performances fine-tuned to pull audiences deeper into the mixed blessing of our common human experience. This music recognizes both the joy and tragedy of life – often in the same breath – celebrating the mystery of love and life, and restoring our wonder at the vastness of it all.

Michael has opened for a wide range of artists including Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Zuvuya (side project of The String Cheese Incident's Michael Travis – who declared him "the perfect opening act" for their high-energy jam band), Willy Porter, Stuart Davis, My-Tea Kind, Sound Rabbit, Scott Matthews, Andreas Kapsalis Trio, Kelli Rudick, Delta Nove, The Floozies, and Fresh2Death, and performed at the Wakarusa, Dreamtime, and McDowell Mountain Music Festivals as well as at Burning Man and a steadily-growing number of charitable events.

Michael is endorsed by LR Baggs (http://www.lrbaggs.com/artists/artistlist.htm).

More information, including live concert footage and the Love Without End Tour calendar:
http://myspace.com/michaelgarfield

Free streaming and downloadable live and studio recordings:
http://michaelgarfield.net

Facebook page:
http://tinyurl.com/mgmusicpage


"Monstrously talented...an act the likes of which I have not seen in a long time."
- Willy Porter, performing songwriter (willyporter.com)

"Amazing. I have not seen that before...you obviously put some hours in. I was hypnotized."
- Ramaya Soskin, performing songwriter (myspace.com/ramayasoskin)

"Astonishing...insane guitar talent."
- Smother Magazine (smother.net)

"Entertaining songs that completely upend the stereotypes of what one may think of as intelligent music...instantly memorable and utterly magnetic tunes whose authenticity and sweetness is boundary breaking."
- Paul Lonely, author (paullonely.com)

"Show me someone who believes they have an original idea, and I will invite them to meet Michael Garfield...a delightfully brilliant young musician and artist."
- Colorado Music Buzz (coloradomusicbuzz.com)

"Watching your show the other day was a PROFOUND spiritual experience for me...a highlight of my musical experiences up till this point. Dude, you hit me on the deepest soul level."
- DJ Dreamcode (myspace.com/djdreamcode)
Member Since:June 6, 2006
Last Login:January 22, 2010
Location:Boulder, CO
Birthday:January 8
General Interests:Michael Garfield is one of the Denver area's most productive performance painters, working at concerts and other public events, bringing the uniquely trained eye of a scientific illustrator into vivid, organic work with opaque markers on masonite. Two weekly live art residencies, over 150 paintings for some of the world's greatest bands and electronic artists, and a 2600+ person mailing list – all in just two years – suggest that Michael's live painting is a valued addition to entertainment events of all kinds.

"Super intense and completely focused...his attention to detail consistently raised the quality bar."
- Christopher Gaspar, playordownload.com

"I really like it...I run a music site and blog and manage bands in Austin, TX and I see lot of live painting going on at shows, but it's pretty rare that I actually like the finished product!"
- Tyler Groover, twogroove.com

"Totally unique."
- Michael Travis (String Cheese Incident, Zilla, EOTO)

"Your work is like staring into an aquarium of color."
- Pablos Ramos, visual artist (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pablo-Ramos-Visual-Machinist/47661109799?ref=mf)

"Fractalicious."
- Laura Fox, visionaryculture.com

Michael Garfield’s improvised live paintings are hand-illustrated with pens (and without computers or measuring tools) during concerts. Each painting grows according to an evolving visual genome, translated from the throb of the house and the crowd into cross-sections of fireworks and undersea faeries, closed-eye tesselations and luminous fossils…vivid scenes of unabashed intensity, verdant and exultant imagery written in the natural language of dreams. Reflecting his training as a scientific illustrator, Michael’s live art is a field guide to the beings that emerge at the energetic nexuses of live music…the boundary-living electric winged spirits that crash into being through a dancing throng while he is a seismograph and portraitist, swaying to their breath.

Having only been at it for two years, Michael has painted in a legendary range of situations – franging from basement dance clubs to field concerts in front of 5000-person crowds, both onstage and off, and alongside internationally renowned visionary artists Alex & Allyson Grey, Mark Henson, Kris D, J Garcia, and Mars-1. He was a featured visual artist at the Wakarusa Festival (2008 & 2009), Sonic Bloom Festival (2009), Rothbury Festival (2009, as a part of IAMU's ReSOurce Center), Global Sound Conference (2008), Trinumeral Festival (2008 & 2009), Gem & Jam (2009), and Rocky Mountain Crystallization Festival (2008)...and has held live painting residencies at the Trilogy Lounge in Boulder CO (February - August 2008) and at the Mondrian Hotel's Pere La Chaise Lounge in Scottsdale AZ (March - May 2009) in addition to assuming responsibilities as de facto journalist and organizer for the growing live art community.

Here is a partial list of the musicians with whom he has created over 150 live paintings since he started in November 2007: Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation, Béla Fleck/Zakkir Hussain/Edgar Meyer, Galactic, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Daedelus, Zilla, EOTO, Lotus, Rabbit In The Moon, DJ Z-Trip, DJ Radar, James Zabiela, Conspirator, Kaki King, Greyboy Allstars, The Glitch Mob, Everyone Orchestra, The New Deal, Bonobo, OTT, DubConscious, Anasia, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, 2020 Soundsystem, Steve Kimock, Shpongle, Sheila Chandra, Yungchen Llamo, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Agape International Choir, Lynx & Janover, Vibesquad, The Mad Professor, Toubab Krewe, Eric McFadden Trio, Chris Berry & Panjea, Lazer Sword, Kyle Hollingsworth, Alex Botwin, On The One, Eliot Lipp, Rena Jones, Cornmeal, Great American Taxi, Family Groove Company, Euforquestra, Elephant Revival, The Motet, Boombox, Big Gigantic, Delta Nove, The K23 Orchestra, BLVD & SoulEye, Madahoochi, Breakbeat Buddha, Pretty Lights, The Egg, Iggy Baby, and many, many more.

Lastly, Michael makes a point to handle himself with the utmost sincerity and professionalism, working with each venue to ensure he is enhancing (not interfering) with lights, video, and other aspects of the production.

Complete live painting, album artwork, and custom clothing galleries can be found here:
http://myspace.com/michaelgarfield

...and here, on his Facebook page:
http://tinyurl.com/mgartpage

Here is a direct link to live paintings only, with noted availability for interested buyers:
http://tinyurl.com/mgpaintings
Other Distractions:http://michaelgarfield.blogspot.com

SHOWS FOR MichaelGarfield's TRACKED ARTISTS

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