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All Music Guide:
Progressive metal guitar virtuoso Tony MacAlpine began his musical education as a classically-trained pianist and violinist; his subsequent rock recordings retained a pronounced classical influence, incorporating elements of jazz and fusion as well. He debuted in 1986 with the instrumental Edge of Insanity, recorded with an all-star line-up including bassist Billy Sheehan and ex-Journey drummer Steve Smith; for the follow-up, Project: Driver, MacAlpine formed the band M.A.R.S. with drummer Tommy Aldridge, vocalist Bob Rock and bassist Rudi Sarzo. The group quickly dissolved and MacAlpine returned to his solo career, additionally forming his own label, Squawk; after 1987's Maximum Security, he founded another group, dubbed simply MacAlpine, with singer Alan Schorn, keyboardist Mark Robertson, bassist Mike Jacques and drummer Billy Carmassi. The band's lone record, Eyes of the World, appeared in 1990, and MacAlpine returned to instrumental projects for the remainder of the decade, issuing a series of albums including 1992's Freedom to Fly, 1995's Evolution, 1997's Live Insanity and 2000's Cab. Cab 2 followed in 2001.
Wikipedia:
Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960) is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning more than two decades and eleven studio albums, he is best known as an instrumental solo guitarist, although he has worked with many different bands and musicians in guest appearances and collaborations.
Biography
Having started playing piano at the age of five and guitar at twelve, MacAlpine studied classical music for a number of years at the Springfield Conservatory of Music in Massachusetts, as well as various music programs at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. One of his musical influences is Frédéric Chopin, to whom he pays homage in his interpretations of the latter's études, which are featured on the majority of his studio albums.
Together with his first studio releases, Edge of Insanity (1985) and Maximum Security (1987), he had a prominent role on other works during the popular shred era, including keyboard duties on the debut albums of fellow guitarists Vinnie Moore and Joey Tafolla, on Mind's Eye (1986) and Out of the Sun (1987) respectively. Soon after his own debut, he played guitar in a heavy metal supergroup named M.A.R.S. (an acronym for acAlpine/ldridge/ock/arzo), which resulted in the album Project: Driver (1986).
As part of a band effort named 'MacAlpine', Eyes of the World was released in 1990 as a more commercially-oriented attempt to emulate other hard rock acts at the time. The venture was short-lived, and his subsequent album Freedom to Fly (1992), was a return to his instrumental-based work. A further consecutive string of instrumental albums followed throughout the 1990s, most of them through the renowned Shrapnel Records label: Madness (1993), Premonition (1994), Evolution (1995) and Violent Machine (1996). For his last album of the decade Master of Paradise (1999), MacAlpine briefly assumed singing duties in an effort to experiment with different styles. After the release of Chromaticity in 2001, he took an extended hiatus from recording solo albums and worked with a variety of other musicians and bands, most notably with jazz fusion outfit CAB. A decade later, he released his self-titled eleventh studio album through guitarist Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in 2011.
In the early to mid-2000s, MacAlpine took on a dual role playing both guitar and keyboards in Vai's touring band The Breed. He is featured on the band's DVD release Live at the Astoria London (2003), along with two DVDs of the G3 tour: G3: Live in Denver (2004) and G3: Live in Tokyo (2005). During that time, he was the guitarist for progressive metal supergroup Planet X, alongside keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. He played with them for three albums in the first part of the decade—Universe (2000), Live from Oz (2002) and MoonBabies (2002)—and rejoined them in 2009 for a string of live performances, and a possible new album. His most recent collaborations have included Seven the Hardway, a progressive rock group with whom he released their self-titled album in 2010, and a guest appearance on Sherinian's seventh studio album Oceana (2011).
Style and influence
MacAlpine was highly influential in the neo-classical metal genre, becoming known for his instrumental rock style of playing that displayed highly advanced shred techniques. He has incorporated elements of classical, jazz, fusion, hard rock and heavy metal on both guitar and keyboard, and has been described as a virtuoso by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.
Equipment
MacAlpine became a prominent user of the seven string guitar after joining Planet X and still plays them regularly, along with a newly acquired eight-string guitar. A long-time endorsee of Carvin guitars (notably the T-Mac and DC series), he switched to Ibanez in 2010. As of 2011 he plays a customized RG Prestige eight-string model with EMG pickups, whilst his seven- and six-string models use DiMarzios. For amplification, he uses the Hughes & Kettner TriAmp for studio recording and the Coreblade model for live touring. An Ernie Ball wah and volume pedal completes his live setup.
