Biography
The NYC Fretless Guitar Festival was created in 2005 by Michael ATONAL Vick to celebrate two things; the release of the definitive fretless guitar double CD “Village Of The Unfretted” (Unfretted Records), and to also develop this unique fretless guitar festival into an annual event with the long term goal of promoting the artists and instrument makers of the fretless guitar. The original festival was held on September 10-12, 2005 in New York City at the famed Knitting Factory with one night in Brooklyn at iO Restuarant and Lounge. This event featured many of the top names in the field including Yan Vagh, Franck Vigroux, Elliot Sharp, Ed DeGenaro, Ratko Zjaca, Michael ATONAL Vick and more. The shockwave this festival and CD sent out was completely responsible for much of the current press around the World about the fretless guitar. All of a sudden, multiple articles were being written about the fretless guitar in magazines around the World including Guitar Player, Guitar World, La Guitare and Guitar Classique, and each of these articles sited the NYC Festival and CD as a component in opening everyones ears to the true potential of the fretless guitar. Also featured in many of these articles were the 2005 sponsors Vigier Guitars and Godin Guitars front and center.
Keep in mind, that as recently as June 2006 Guitar World featured a short piece on the upcoming 2006 NYC Fretless Fest and the “Village Of The Unfretted” CD. This is prime evidence that we can all work together to create a long lasting annual fretless guitar event of signifigant importance.
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