GuitarTour Productions
Andre Cholmondeley. MUSIC. Tour Production & Support. Lessons
Work/Tour Support History.
A few of the artists & bands I've worked for, on tour thru North & South America, Europe, Asia & Australia.
YES. Steve Howe gtr tech
Guitar Tech/Stage Crew
2011 USA. "Progressive America" Tour with STYX.
2016 Europe. Spring Tour.
2016 USA. Summer Tour.
2016 Japan. Fall Tour.
2017 USA. Winter Tour/ Cruise To The Edge.
2017 USA/CAN YESTIVAL w/Todd Rundgren, Carl Palmer
2018 UK/Belgium/France 50th Anniversary Tour
2019 Gulf Of Mex/Cruise To The Edge, Japan.
What can we say? Genre-busting influential "prog-rock" legend from the band YES. But really so much more than a "prog" guy, actually truly "progressive", known & beloved for his explorations on electric guitar, classical, acoustic, steel guitar, a parade of Gibson jazz-box hollow bodies, as well as all the things at the edge of guitar, harp-guitars, electric sitar, guitar-synth, etc.
Touring with YES and working for Steve is a continual education. Humbled and trying to just observe and listen as he works his unique sonic concept. Talking to Steve about his 1950s-1960s rock, rockabilly, jazz and pop guitar influences -- amazing insights. It's a highlight of my life and career to be working for such a major influence, and to be there at soundchecks around the world as he runs through an amazing array of musical delights and highlights.
www.stevehowe.com
DAVID TORN
Toured with: 2015-present
2015 Tour for ECM release "Only Sky", David's highly acclaimed, widely charting first solo CD in many years. Also his first solo USA tour since 1992.
David Torn is one of those artists that is...elusively everywhere, right under your nose, yet many people are still learning about his vast catalog as we speak.
A guitarist/oud player with many iconoclastic solo projects , albums & film scores, David works with many of the major Hollywood and indie directors. His band projects are all over the map - with fellow legends and groundbreakers like Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Tim Berne, Terry Bozzio, Mick Karn, Don Cherry, Mark Isham, Vernon Reid, Michael Shrieve, Elliott Sharp and more
David is also a sonic pioneer in terms of having been involved in the development of several pieces of studio & live signal processing hardware and software. Many items that are used every day in studios, by companies like Lexicon, Eventide, Digitech, EHX and many other, were developed with David as a consultant, developer and/or beta-tester
www.davidtorn.net
BRAND X
Tour Manager, Stage Manager/Guitar Tech.
2017 Nov 2017 USA/West Coast Tour
First USA/WC Tour in 19 years.
2019 Mar/Apr USA/West Coast Tour
One of the most creative and innovative fuison/jazz-rock/progressive bands. Well known for their formative years featuring legendary Genesis drummer Phil Collins. Phil played on the first four BX albums and toured with them a number of times. The current incarnation features ORIGINAL/FOUNDING members Percy Jones (bass) and John Goodsall (guitar).
Brand X has influenced most prog rock and fusion musicians who came of age in the 70s/80s, and they consistently released albums from the mid-70s all their the late 90s. The recent reunion has rejuvenated the band, a new live album out and plans for new studio material.
Pic: with Brand X guitarist John Goodsall, San Juan Capistrano CA, Nov 2017
ADRIAN BELEW
Toured with: 2006-2010, 2014-present. USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey.......
Adrian needs little introduction. Pulled out of cover band obscurity by Frank Zappa, He went on to perform & record with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Tom Tom Club, Herbie Hancock, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and became the vocalist & co-guitarist of KING CRIMSON for over 30 years. Seeing him with Crimson in 1982 at age 17 was a life-changer for me. I teched and tour managed for Adrian worldwide 2006-2010, and am happy to be back on his team for the 2014 Fall Tour. Adrian is a riot to be on the road with, high energy and with a THOUSAND stories from his many adventures.
www.adrianbelew.net
GREG LAKE
Toured with: 2010-2016 (RIP Greg)
Tours in: England, Canada, Japan, Italy, USA
Bass/Guitar Tech, Teleprompter, stage crew
Emerson/Lake Tour 2010
Emerson, Lake & Palmer Reunion/Final Show 2010
Greg Lake Solo Tours 2012 etc
Greg was the original bassist/vocalist of KING CRIMSON. He went on to co-found Emerson Lake & Palmer. So he is one of the founders of ProgRock. I've worked for Greg since 2010 all through the USA, Canada, UK, Italy and Japan, taking care of his guitars & basses. Greg is another great storyteller, he knows EVERYONE in British rock and has seen most of them play from the earliest days. a History Book..and I'll say it again -- THE VOICE of King Crimson and ELP. Incredible. His demands for sound quality and having his guitars ready, setup and in pristine working condition really pushed the envelope for me. Audiophile ears.
JOHN WETTON
Toured with: 2009-2016. (RIP John)
Tours in: Poland, England, Japan, USA, Netherlands.
Bass/Guitar Tech, Teleprompter, stage crew
John Wetton needs little introduction. As the voice and bassist of the classic 1973-76 KING CRIMSON, he basically picked up the reins from the great Greg Lake (above), after a short detour for the band (Boz Burrell).
John was briefly in a number of classic bands like ROXY MUSIC and URIAH HEEP, after Crimson he of course co-founded the legendary supergroup UK. The UK and related reunions are the projects I have toured and worked for John on (As Bass/guitar tech, TelePrompter operator
After the intial UK years, John went on to co-found ANOTHER supergroup. That band with Steve Howe, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer: ASIA, would see massive chart success and work for decades in the rock/prog/pop world.
John's many solo albums and guest appearances & collaborations with pioneers like Steve Hackett are worth seeking out.
FUNNY NOTE/ASIA BAND MEMBERS:
- I have toured with Wetton (UK Tours)
- I have toured with Downes and Howe (YES 2011 Tour)
- I have toured with Carl Palmer (ELP reh/reunion 2010, Yestival 2017).....
but never toured with the four original guys all at once !!
Derek Trucks
Toured with: 2008, Tour Manager. USA & Canada
Derek is another guy that needs little intro! It was incredible to hear his amazing slide guitar work every night, and his amazing band. One of the nicest guys in the biz and a complete joy to work for. Great band, super crew. Just find him a bookstore and tell him what time you need him at the lobby. Low maintenance and a killer guitarist ! From his time as a kid sitting in with the Allmans, to being in the band, to his own groups and now the excellent Tedeschi-Trucks Band with his talented wife Susan, Derek just brings it and is a true bluesman and world music head.
Al Di Meola
Toured with: 2005-2006, Tour Manager, Guitar Tech. USA, Canada, Chile, Israel, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Serbia, Spain (??)
Al !! If you're reading this you know. He's one of the guys on this list that has changed the face of guitar playing, BOTH electric and acoustic. It's that simple. Chick Corea grabbed him out of Berklee as a teenager to tour with Return To Forever. The rest is ongoing history. Touring with Di Meola for a year was an ADVENTURE, the 2nd show saw me in a tiny prop plane flying to Rouyn-Naranda, a small Canadian copper mining town.
With Al I traveled for the first time to places like Poland, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Chile and coast to coast in the USA. Simply a lesson every day. One of the most dramatic things that impacted & impressed me was that AL PRACTICES ALL THE TIME. All.The.Time. I'd walk into a backstage at LUNCHTIME and he was shredding.
I'd show up to his hotel room for a business meeting and he has his guitar. Airport with downtime? Workin' it. Hardly anyone tours as much as the guy, as well, 40-some years straight. One of a kind. Also pictured is the GREAT Gumbi Ortiz, Al's longtime percussionist and just a great guy.
moe.
Toured with: 2014, Guitar/Bass Tech. USA, Canada, Germany, Japan.
moe. is just one of those bands that has MADE themselves who they are. The growth in this band -- since I met them in 2000 when my band Project/Object did some stuff w them -- is astounding. They really came from being "just OK" to being a blistering unit, prolific as hell with hundreds of great songs and a boatload of covers.
It truly was fantastic each night hearing them delve into two new sets each night. Over the whole summer certain tunes, I only heard once or twice. They have a great crew and all the guys were super easy to work with.
I soaked up a LOT of guitar tone knowledge on this run. We crissrossed the from CO east, and did a festival each in Japan & Germany and a couple more gigs in Germany. Excellent band, superb crew, excellent time. Check them out if you haven't heard them in a while!!
UK. Eddie Jobson/John Wetton
Toured with: 2009-present,
Bass Tech, Keys/Mainstage tech,
Violin passer. USA, Japan, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, England...
UK. Wow. Well I grew up with this band - their classic, crushing debut was my absolute fave prog album as a teen, and is basically "prog/fusion album #1" for me. With Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, Wetton & Jobson, it's hard to beat and the compositions are stupendous. The 2nd UK album, while a polarizing effort for some, IMHO is equally amazing, just ina different way. What Bozzio brough to the table, and Wetton and Jobson's more muscular playing in the new sonic space afforded by a trio, are still incredible to hear. For me it's some of Bozzio's most incredible playing, in a long list of incredible moments.
In 1980 I discovered the Tull album "A" that Eddie Jobson was on - it's still one of my faves; then in 1981 I encountered yet another still-fave album with EJ on it: "Zappa In New York". Soon I noticed a pattern "this guy is on all these great albums" !!
Jump ahead a few years and I meet Eddie in the post-show audience at a small "Bruford-Moraz" gig around 1986. He is approachable and we have a great conversation.
Fast forward another 22 years and after meeting him again in August 2008, I start working for Eddie that December. To date (March 2015) I have toured in the USA, Japan, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, England & Russia with Jobson & Wetton and Eddie's various projects like UZ (Ultimat Zero) and UKZ.
Each band with different drummers including the great Marco Minnemann.
THE PICTURE: I've not worked with Bozzio though I've met him a few times. But this picture was just TOO COOL to not use, so there you go. Cruise ship dock in Miami: I had just stepped OFF the Moodys Cruise with Greg Lake, I was waiting for transport for my gear..and the UK guys arrived to embark on the Yes Cruise to The Edge. I did that cruise the next year, 2014, with the quartet cersion of UK.
Eddie, I feel is one of the most unsung keyboard player/violinists....unsung probably because he walked away from the whole rock music touring machine for 25 years.
Tons of people know who he is but 10x as many should. I've been working with him since his return to action in '08, and it's really been an honor as, once again, it's someone whose music literally changed my life and understanding of music.
Since his FIRST gig returning to live playing, the Town Hall NYC in 2009, EJ has led a series of lineups with greats like Alex Machacek, Gary Husband, Billy Sheehan, Greg Howe, Marco Minnemann, Tony Levin, Virgil Donati, Marc Bonilla, Ric Fierabracci, TJ Helmerich, Mike Mangini, Sonja Krystina, and Aaron Lippert.....
It was an emotional pair of tours for all of us, the Europe/England leg in Feb/March then the USA/Japan leg in April/May, bringingto a close the 38 yr history of this band. A disctinct honour to be on the team.
Coming soon...Info on other tours including:
Keith Emerson & Greg Lake
Toured with: 2010, Guitar/Bass Tech. USA, Canada: First Duo tour by prog legends. Live CD was recorded. Storyteller multimedia show.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2010: Rehearsals and Reunion show at HIGH VOLTAGE festival, London England. Guitar/Bass Tech, Effects technician. 6 weeks of Reh at Shepperton Studios, then the legendary reunion show. DVD/CD and cable/satellite broadcast recorded from show. First show by ELP, since early 1990s. Only show in this century (as of July 2015).
Celebrating David Bowie
2018: Rehearsals and tour in UK, Netherlands, Iceland, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina. Music Of David Bowie with rotating Bowie alumni and all stars
The Grandmothers
Toured with: 2001, Tour Manager, tech assistant, booking agent, driver. USA, Zappa alums Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Billy Mundi, Roy Estrada with Ken Rosser