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QRD - The Guitarists QRD - The Guitarists
MP3 compilation 2014 | Silber 154
55 tracks, 231 minutes
$20 (320 kbps, ~500 megs (includes 58 page digital booklet & 2388 page ebook))
In 2010 QRD started a series of interviews with guitar players after spending two years coming up with 58 questions about approaches & techniques of playing, & since it's QRD all the guitarists were a bit out of the mainstream.  After ten sets of interviews it was time to bundle everything together & ask the guitarists if they had some sound to contribute.  So we ended up with something pretty massive.  55 tracks of guitarists pushing their instruments & rigs.  A 50+ page digital booklet.  A 2388 page ebook of interviews with guitarists.  I like to think I went all out on this.  I feel like there’s no justice in mentioning individual contributors & barely even genres.  The pieces flow from ambient to folk to drone to jazz to metal to noise & back around several times in its nearly 4 hour run time.  So sit back & relax & drone out & bliss out & freak out a good chunk of your day away.

: Press Release

Just want the ebook? Follow this link.
Use Bandcamp or Spotify or Rdio to listen before you buy.

Track Listing:
Ian McPhedran of Ostrich Tuning - Julia Plus (read the interview)
Jun Minowa of Gargle & Yawning - Deserted
(read the interview)
Alan Sparhawk of Low - La La Daughter Mouth (read the interview)
Aidan Baker of Nadja - ExParte #4 (read the interview)
Michael Walton of mwvm - ebygum (read the interview)
Mason Jones of Numinous Eye - Seldom Is The Story Told (read the interview)
Gavin MacArthur of Schlong - Bullet Bitches (read the interview)
Brandon W Pittman of when the word was (((sound))) - First Light of Dawn (Still Life) (read the interview)
Evgeny Zheyda of Thorn1 - Relicit (read the interview)
Robert Brown of Northern Valentine - the decline (read the interview)
PD Wilder of Hotel Hotel - Summer Maps (read the interview)
Ashkelon Sain of Trance to the Sun - Arrive Lost (read the interview)
Invisible Elephant - Kicking Jesus (read the interview)
Andras Fekete of Boat Burning - The Accretion Tapes 2008-2013 (read the interview)
David M Birchall of Kalbakken - For Bertolt Brecht (read the interview)
Brian Elyo of mobdividual - Glen v3 (read the interview)
Francesco Brasini - Electric Guitar Strings Ensemble (read the interview)
Jason LaFarge of Pants Exploder - The Fat of the Land (read the interview)
Brian Lea McKenzie of Electric Bird Noise - Kind of Black-One (read the interview)
Azalia Snail - Getting Lei'd (read the interview)
Andrea Vascellari of Lullabier & Firetail - The Forest Album By Alan Sparhawk (read the interview)
Eric Quach of thisquietarmy - Metallic Twilight (read the interview)
Kyle Arthur Miller of Haunter - Temps Perdu (edit) (read the interview)
Martin Newman of Plumerai - Secondhand Emotion (read the interview)
Joshua Heinrich of fornever - adrift (read the interview)
Charles Rice Goff III - Falling Fired Frozen Flaked (read the interview)
Bret Harold Hart - Dancing on Nothing (read the interview)
Dave Halverson of Trance Lucid - Quelle Aar (read the interview)
Evan Peta - Lavzza gran (in 3 parts) (read the interview)
Jim Walker of Tim and Jim & JVA - Formica, My Friend (read the interview)
John Trubee - Spanish Sunset (read the interview)
Jon Attwood of Yellow6 - Set Your Heart on the Stars (read the interview)
Brian John Mitchell of Remora - Hills of Elfshima (read the interview)
Nathan Amundson of Rivulets - Ujaayi (read the interview)
Gary Murray - Mount Versant Observatory (read the interview)
Bill Horist of Master Musicians of Bukkake - Our Scars of Braille Withheld (read the interview)
TAM - Noise Track (read the interview)
Julien Ottavi - We found a chocolate cake in a basket broken in two pieces (read the interview)
Tony Sagger of DrugsDragons - Night Driving (read the interview)
Jean D.L. - //F//T//S// (read the interview)
Robert Poss of Band of Susans - Partial Clearing (read the interview)
Russ Stedman - Medium Density Fiberboard (read the interview)
Stef Ketteringham of Shield Your Eyes - nature intends you to cry (read the interview)
Eric Hausmann - Gambus Guitar Orchestra (read the interview)
Zachary Corsa & Denny Corsa of Lost Trail - Wandering Into An Abyss (read the interview)
Michael A. Cosma of Anixas - Gigamawaz (read the interview)
Rachel Goldstar of Experimental Aircraft - desert skies (read the interview)
Cheryl Hall of Irata - Respirate (read the interview)
Michael Seman of Shiny Around The Edges - David Saylor's Fluffy Wonderworld (read the interview)
Don Campau - Glial Attitude (read the interview)
Matt Stevens of Fierce and the Dead - Vinegar (read the interview)
Dan West of Sidewalk Society & LoveyDove - Sorrow And Joy Get Married (read the interview)
Jason Williams of Animal Holograms - When the World Froze Over (read the interview)
Peter Bingham of Sendelica - Sendelica Soundscape #2 (read the interview)

Reviews:
Silber Records started brewing something pretty fresh back in 2010. The experimental label’s zine offshoot, QRD, began interviewing as many out-music guitarists as they could possibly fit in their pages. Text piled upon text, and dreams built on top of dreams, until finally, something resembling a finished product revealed itself to the internet masses.
The Guitarists is that product, and man is it a doozy. All the interviews have been compiled in a 2,388-page ebook that accompanies a 50-page digital booklet. And that’s not all. The real draw here is the 55 tracks of guitar madness contributed by the interviewees (231 minutes y’all), with sweet shreds by the likes of Aidan Baker (Nadja), Alan Sparhawk (Low), Bill Horist (Master Musicians of Bukake), and a whole host of others. On top of that, The Guitarists only sets you back about twenty bucks, and gets you high for way longer than that measly dub sack you just wasted a Jackson on.
See the entire list of six-string psychos here at Silber, where you can also read every interview and pick up the entire package.
~ Dream Baby, Tiny Mix Tapes

Various artist compilations comes in many forms and sizes, but this 2014 compilation from US label Silber Records is a rather unique one I think, at least when seen in the greater totality of this package. It’s called “QRD – The Guitarists”, is a digital only production, and clocks in at an easy 4 hours playing time or thereabouts. None of which marks this is a production outside of ordinary bounds mind you, as it is the content of this package rather than the length and format that is the main talking matters here. I should probably add that those with an interest in ordinary guitar virtuoso performers in various styles will not have an interest in this compilation at all. There are no blues masters to be found here, nor any unheralded masters of jazz or jazzrock. As for those with an affection for metal and shredding, there’s just a token example of this here, and in the greater context this is more an incidental case than anything else. What this production is all about, are the more or less unheralded guitar players exploring the outermost edges of music, the ones exploring the many different borderlands between music and mere sound.
This production is about more than the mere music though. QRD is a fanzine that have been around for some 20 odd years at this point, for most of the time co-existing with creator Brian John Mitchell’s record label Silber Records, based out of North Carolina in the United States. A common feature of that fanzine have been interviews with musicians, where a set questionnaire have been developed where the musicians approached have been asked numerous detailed questions about gear, tech, technique, habits, likes and dislikes, dreams and visions concerning their craft and their instruments. Fascinating reads for those with a keen interest in the guitar, presumably, and perhaps most of all for fellow musicians in general and guitarists in particular. 20 years or so of those detailed interviews is a part of this package, provided as an electronic book counting up to an impressive 2388 pages long PDF document. If you love to read about guitarists and their thoughts and opinion on their instrument, their craft and related topics this is a book that most likely should occupy you for an hour or two. More than 100 musicians have been covered, although I would guess that the greater majority of them are unknown outside of the mostly niche environments they populate.
The second part of this production  is the music. 55 of the guitarists, including Mitchell himself, have chosen to contribute music to this project.  The greater majority of the material operate within the quadrant of drones, post rock, ambient and noise rock, many of them combining two or more of these elements. In addition there are contributions that may, more or less broadly, be placed inside the context of folk, psychedelic music and jazz, and some singular excursions that arguably may be best described as residing within the classical and metal universe respectively. What all of them have in common is that they are all instrumental only.
These contributions are diverse in form as well. Some come across as mere technical showcases, others as single instrument details presented outside of a full compositional context, the standalone guitar based texture from a full band composition. Most of them are fully developed creations though, ranging from single instrument creations to more elaborate affairs with sophisticated, multiple layered arrangements and well developed theme developments. The sheer range of styles and approaches will make this album something of a roller-coaster ride for those who, like me, are mere listeners, and that much of the material is rather challenging as well does make this a rather taxing experience. I kind of guess that the number of people able to listen intently through the full four hours here in one sitting is limited.
All in all this is an impressive production, the combination of text and music makes this package a virtual behemoth, literally speaking when considering publishing format. As I am but a mere listener my conclusion is based solely on the musical merits I got from the musical contributions, which merits specifying I suspect. How large the potential audience for such a production will be is something that I find much more difficult to estimate. Those with a keen interest in guitarists with a style and approach often well outside of the common norms and genres should probably be made aware of this production I guess, and I would suspect that guitarists who treasure fellow musicians with such an approach is another possible audience too.
~ Olav Martin Bjørnsen, House of Prog

Another release that somehow managed to lose itself in the horror that was the blue screen of death – a matter further handicapped by the fact that we’ve mislaid our original written guide notes – is a mammoth undertaking by the Silber imprint whose recent catalogue and buoyant activity therein is much deserving of a peak, something which I hasten to add we will all in good time once we find a spare hour or two. For now though ‘QRD – the guitarists’ – a hulking gathering of the undergrounds finest practitioners of the six string set across 4 hours of music taking in 55 contributions covers a wealth of sonic spectrums from noise, ambient, dream, shoe gaze, drone and more and within including a real labour of love – a 2000 plus page ebook hosting 20 years worth of interviews with over 150 guitarists. An immense achievement and something that in time we suspect will deservedly be referenced rightly so as legendary. Alas due to time constraints and as previously noted – the annoying fact that we’ve not only lost our original review but with it our own hand scribbled guide notes – we’ll for now just cherry pick a few familiar friends from the extensive list. First up on the inspection blocks – Yellow6 – with ‘set your heart on the stars’ which finds Mr Atwood loosening up and go all fuzzy and psychotropic in a kind of a mind lost heading space wards and beyond Julian Cope style and gouging the fracturing edges in lashings of down n’ dirty stoned out blues which aside appealing to those shade adorning floppy fringe types among you ought to attract the attention of those tuned into the spiked psych of primordial undermind. Next up Azalia Snail who sent us a lovely little notes along with sound files of new stuff which for the life of me – for now – we’ve lost sight (and ear) of – for now though while we go off in search of the errant tykes there’s always the quite wonderful ‘getting lei’d’ to be going on with, just adoring the candy skinned flavoured pop oozing through this, all dissipating sea breezy vibes and lazy eyed demurring inclines that lend their way to fondly recalling dreamy days misspent lying beneath tree shades cutting surreal shapes from out of the passing wispy clouds above. Plumerai’s Martin Newman undergoes something of a psychotic overdrive for ‘secondhand emotion’ – seriously tripping stuff and just out there stoked and smoked out on bonged out hazes of hulking psychotropics on board some mystic astral ride which midway through sumptuously blossoms to reveal delicate hints of Goblin’s ‘suspiria’ being spiked and fractured by sonic sun spot activity. Fruits de Mer regulars Sendelica are serviced here by Peter Bingham whose ‘sendelica soundscape #2’ provides for a mind wiping 6 minute head kick of woozy oriental hypnosis, reality altering mirages and looping dream machine cycles which should you need sonic reference markers we’d be prone to say that admirers of Roy Montgomery will dig in an instant. Silber head man and Remora dude Brian John Mitchell opts for some deeply demurring glacial sereneness for ‘hills of elfshima’ which comes kissed in the kind mesmeric cradt we’ve come to know and expect from such riff patrons as Wil Bolton and David A Jaycock. It’s been way too long for our liking since Bill Horist had occasion to visit upon these pages, ‘ours scars of braille withheld’ is lovingly frost sculptured, isolationist drone for the best part that strangely finds him a tad quiet and withdrawn exploring inner sound  spaces to flesh out a tapestry of  shimmering orbs and bowed instrumentations- but be honest you didn’t expect matters to remain so – er – normal and tranquil, good – because matters take a turn at the 3.45 mark and things start to unravel and fracture into a sublime groan of white noise oblivion a la Bruce Russell. That said those preferring their listening space shimmered in twilight hazed astral folk mirages will do well to seek out Alan Sparhawk’s ‘la la daughter mouth’ for required daily dosage intakes of mellowing blissfulness and well just for the hell of it drawn as we were by the title alone – ‘we found a chocolate cake in a basket broken in two pieces’ Julien Ottavi applies himself to turning in 7 minutes of sonic shrapnel courtesy of the type of groaning doom dusted reverbs and off the wall riff bending that sofas were made for to hide behind.
~ The Sunday Experience

Silbermedia you will have come across many a time on the various reviews, as they are another out-fit who manage to unearth some fascinating sounds, which they send my way.
As a different project by Brian lays QRD – a fanzine dating back to the late 1990′s and just recently a new compilation LP appeared – entitled The Guitarists and it is exactly what it says on the tin – guitarists and their guitars.
I could review each individual track, there are fifty five of them spread over four hours of exploratory sounds, but not only would I be writing until next week, you would have fallen asleep by the time you got to the end of the article. To do so would also be less than half the story as the full release, running to almost four hours, comes with a fifty eight page digital booklet and just under two and a half thousand pages of interviews with the guitarists.
I could make a ‘pick of the release’ but attempting that, would be like catching wafts of smoke.
So – I would ask you to find a few hours to take a listen to the whole LP below.
~ Emerging Indie Bands

I don’t normally do CD reviews at Guitar Moderne. If something truly cool comes across the transom, I try to get an interview with the artist. QRD—The Guitarists is different. I’m sure you all understand that it can get lonely out here in modern guitar world, among the thousands of guitarists playing the same old rock, jazz, country, blues, punk, and so-called alternative stuff. So, imagine my joy at receiving this recording of 55 solo, modern guitar performances, 53 of them by artists I have never heard before (Bill Horist I have covered a number of times, including here , I am aware of Robert Poss from Band of Susans)
QRD–The Guitarists is QRD’s second compilation from Silber Records. The release also includes a 50+ page digital booklet with track listing and recording info for many tracks, as well as a 2388 page eBook of interviews with guitarists and bassists culled from Brian John Mitchell’s 20 years of putting out the zine QRD. In addition Mitchell’s media empire includes Silber Records and Silber Comics. (Silber Records puts out terrific records from all over the world of particular interest to Guitar Moderne readers).
I am heartened by the consistent quality of the music. Though there are some similarities among many of the drone and ambient approaches it works. Track flows into track creating a unified listening experience. The music somehow manages to range from quiet ambience to aggressive noise without feeling too disparate.
The interviews will keep me busy for months. So far, they reveal a class of creative guitarists pursuing music that is financially unrewarding, causing them to make music with the few tools they can afford. Unfortunately the interviews suffer a bit from lack of editing, which might have removed some of the repetition caused by questions that cover similar ground.
Still, I look forward to revisiting the music and wading through the rest of the interviews. This release should provide enough potential subjects to keep Guitar Moderne going for years. QRD–The Guitarists is a must for fans and players who wants to check out the state of modern guitar—and feel a little less alone.
~ Guitar Moderne


La Silber rilascia questa corposa raccolta celebrativa dei vent'anni di vita della rivista QRD: cinquantacinque (sic) tracce di altrettanti chitarristi che si dilettano a mostrare le innumerevoli facce che possono avere le chitarre ed i loro padroni a seconda di come le si suona. E così, scorrendo acusticamente questa specie di enciclopedia, si passa dall'ambient al folk al drone passando per jazz, metal e noise per un totale di circa quattro ore di musica, che simboleggiano la fervente attività e passione degli addetti ai lavori che sono riusciti a mettere insieme una tale squadra. Corollario tutt'altro che trascurabile a questo colossale lavoro è la raccolta di interviste ai chitarristi iniziata qualche anno fa (2.388 pagine), nonché quelle fatte ai bassisti, molto più sintetici (solo 222 pagine). In questo mare di materiale vale la pena menzionare tra i partecipanti Aidan Baker (Nadja), Alan Sparhawk (Low) e Bill Horist (Master Musicians of Bukake). Interessante uscita, ma solo per coloro che hanno molto tempo libero.

~ Rosa Selvaggia