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| TOM RIEPL
Germany
Presentation
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TOM RIEPL
Presentation
STYLE - INSTRUMENTAL ROCK / JAZZ
INFLUENCES - BLUES, AMERICAN ROCK, JAZZ, JAZZ-ROCK, LATIN, FUSION, COUNTRY,
TV-THEMES OF ‘70s AND ‘80s SHOWS LIKE MAGNUM P.I., THE ROCKFORD FILES AND MANY
MORE... ROBERT JOHNSON, JOHNNY WINTER, VAN HALEN, HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS,
LARRY CARLTON, STEELY DAN, THE DIXIE DREGS & STEVE MORSE, BARNEY KESSEL,
LEE RITENOUR, DONALD FAGEN, STAN GETZ, MIKE POST...
Tom Riepl's guitar playing is frequently compared with Steve
Morse’s style, which can be interpreted as a compliment on the one side, yet
is only half the truth on the other side. "When you play instrumental guitar
music some people immediately try to put you in that Satriani / Vai / Morse
niche. Those people just don’t listen carefully and all those comparisons are
actually non-committal and insipid. I don’t like to be pigeonholed anyway...",
says Tom.
Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis & The News once put it into words:
"Tom is a famous musician by himself!" Riepl wants to be seen simply
as an original guitarist who has patched up various genres and influences to
his own individual style... And according to fans, prominent fellow musicians
and critics this style has recognizability by all means! It's an original mixture
of Rock, Blues and Jazz and even though Tom’s compositions can be hardly related
to one single style of music they all have one thing in common: Riepl’s unmistakable
way of combining complex chords, melodies and improvisations and make it appear
relaxed, easy and catching. "And the brilliant guitar player also shows
that he is able to master the most difficult thing in Rock music: never let
an album without a singer become boring..." writes Munich Merkur Journal
in a previous CD review. Frank Gingeleit of British Modern Dance Magazine adds:
"There's a good portion of musical humor in everything he does (...) Tom
combines instrumental as well as compository skills, emphasizing the Rock and
the Jazz elements alike..." And Tom himself on his style: "My playing
reflects my personality, I play just like I am as a person! That’s one complex
business and therefore I find it hard to describe my playing style in only 2
words. How can you describe a person in just 2 words? But if you’d insist I
would say: INSTRUMENTAL ROCK / JAZZ ... in all facets."
TOM RIEPL - "RADIO MOONLIGHT"
~ ON THE AIR ~
This album is about night-time! I’ve always loved the stillness
of the night, the moon and the stars, hot summer nights and a radio... And since
I'm a subtle ponderer, night-time was the right time for me to take my guitar
and think up the tunes for this album, yeah, at the peaceful night-time. But
this is also about an imaginary radio station called RADIO MOONLIGHT broadcasting
"night-style" guitar instrumentals! Each piece of music represents
one hour of great late night radio entertainment. Wanna start a party with Keith
R. at 7 p.m. ? What about dancing to the "Tennessee Waltz" at 11?
Well, maybe you'll even join the "Starlight Jam" at 2 p.m... If you,
too, like staying up all night and listening to guitars till the morning light,
this album might become your favorite late night radio programme!! Now press
"PLAY" 4 and go on the air with RADIO MOONLIGHT!
GENERAL INFORMATION & BIOGRAPHY 04/2006
GUITARIST: Tom Riepl
AGE: 44
STYLE: Instrumental Rock / Jazz
INFLUENCES: Huey Lewis, Larry Carlton, Steve Morse, Johnny Winter, Donald Fagen,
Van Halen, Mike Post
MAIN GUITARS: Ibanez RG-PB-TOM (Tom's own signature model), Gibson ES-335
LOCATION: Olching, Germany
CONTACT: tomtone@t-online.de
INFO & NEWS: www.tomriepl.com
Tom Riepl (* September/19/1961) grew up deep in the heart
of the Bavarian Forest (Southern Germany) and started playing guitar at age
14. He was fascinated by the Blues, listening to Lightning Hopkins, Robert Johnson,
Muddy Waters, B.B. King and learning many of them Blues standards by ear &
off the records. Johnny Winter was his first guitar hero and Tom soaked up all
these Blues-Rock licks. By age 22 he had already played hundreds of gigs (clubs
and festivals) with different local bands and meanwhile was known to be a very
versatile player. Tom worked steady on his playing technique, kept on improving
his musical skills (Larry Carlton, Edward van Halen, Steve Morse, 70’s Jazz-Rock
and film & TV music in general have been major influences) and eventually
began developing his own style. From 1984 - 1986 Tom studied at the M.G.I. (Munich
Guitar Institute) and graduated as best student of the year. He began working
as a guitar teacher, studio musician and recorded his first album as a solo
artist. In 1994 Tom won the Charvel / Jackson competition "Germany's Best
Guitar Player" (well, that's nothing of importance, yet for most people
a matter of prestige...). As a clinician he worked for companies like Starfield,
Roland, Rocktron, Taylor and Ibanez and performed regularly at the German music
fair "Musikmesse" in Frankfurt.
Tom has performed & recorded with artists like Joey De
Francesco, Jeff Richman, Doctor J., Willy Astor, Scott Wilkie, Robben Ford,
Jennifer Allas, Curtis Ray, Adrian Scott (Little River Band) and many more.
In September 1999 Tom has been honored by the Ibanez Company with the RG-PB-TOM,
a signature guitar built to his own specifications. Mike Shimada of Ibanez had
actually approached Tom with the offer when he heard him play earlier that year
at the Frankfurt music fair. Meanwhile Tom has released 6 instrumental solo
albums. He has played on many other CDs, works as an independent producer, tour-guitarist,
and is also known for his regular column in Gitarre&Bass, Germany’s premier
guitar magazine. In 2002 Tom released his most popular concept-album "HOLLYMOOD"
and according to the press, fans and prominent fellow musicians he is considered
a famous guitarist / composer in instrumental Rock music. In 2005 - after touring,
doing some clinics and having a couple of sessions / guest appearances in the
US - Tom began writing music for his new CD. This once more impressing album
is called ?RADIO MOONLIGHT? and was released in April 2006...
For further information check out www.tomriepl.com
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Contacts:
www.tomriepl.com
tomtone@t-online.de
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