Amaseffer 

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Jon Anderson 

Best known for being the lead singer of Yes. He has made some very interesting solo albums. And a couple of crappy commercial ones.

Peppino d'Agostino 

If you're looking for acoustic guitar music spiced with unorthodox techniques and full of emotion, look no further. This guy is fantastic. And for what it's worth, he's extremely good looking.

Tori Amos 

There simply aren't enough women in pop and rock music. And no, by 'women in music' I don't mean Jennifer Lopez. Or Madonna for that matter. I'm talking about musicians who take their music and lyrics seriously. Real artists. But here we have one of the very best. Her work is deeply emotional and often embarrassingly personal, but that's also what makes it so unique. She's a fantastic vocalist and a killer piano player! So don't be afraid to dive into her strange world. This woman's music is unique... It's melodic, it's intense, it's feminine and it's full of screaming raw energy. And above all, it's just so beautiful.

Samuel Barber 

This composer is responsible for writing what I think is the best piece of music ever, his 'Adagio for strings'. After that, there's simply nothing more to say.

The Be Good Tanyas 

It's a rare thing to hear an all-female group who's members actually know how to sing, play their own instruments and compose beautiful music. So if you're not afraid of the sad and sometimes depressing mood of their work, give this acoustic trio a try.

Rory Block 

One of the very best female acoustic guitar players in the world. This woman can really play. I like her blues albums very much, but I'm not that crazy about her gospel songs. Luckily, they are a minority in her catalog. I saw her in concert once, in a very small concert hall, and she was truly mesmerizing.

Luka Bloom 

Singer-songwriter from Ireland. I don't think I can name any other artist that comes across as honest as he does in his work. Some of his songs never fail to bring me to tears. His singing voice is very soothing, as is his guitar playing. But at the same time his music can be full of energy and tension.

Blue Dew 

Dutch group that plays a nice blend of Irish folk and American bluegrass! And they're acoustic! And Pim, my next door neighbour, is in it!

Kate Bush 

Most people know her from her early singles, that relied heavily on her high pitched vocals. But there's so much more to her music than that! Later on in her career, say from album number three, her voice matured very well, and she made some truly brilliant music. Her choice of melody, lyrics, piano and all sorts of strange instruments and arrangements is truly unique. In my opinion, she has made the best pop/rock album *ever*. It's called 'The Dreaming' and it is my number one desert island disk. Even though it doesn't contain that much guitar, let alone acoustic guitar. But it's truly unique: no other music sounds or feels like these 10 brilliant songs. And that's quite an achievement in my book.

J.J Cale 

Very influential and important guitar player. Mark Knopfler owes almost an entire carreer to this guy. As does Eric Clapton. His music and playing sound simple, beautiful and pure. My favourite album is 'Travel-log', showing lots of different styles, inlcuding some very nice acoustic guitar playing.

Clannad 

There was a time that I thought they made Irish folk. Sorry about that. But I still like most of their music. Their vocal harmonies are still among the very best in modern music.

Crash Test Dummies 

A strange one, this. Every album released by this band is totally, and I do mean totally, different. Currently the band is more of a solo project by Brad Roberts, and personally, I don't thinks that's a good thing. I really like their first three albums though, with lots of cool guitar playing and very funny lyrics. And Brad's voice remains something that has to be heard to be believed. Mmm mmm mmm mmm...

Dire Straits 

Mark Knopflers singing and playing may sound like a carbon copy of J.J. Cale, but their music was (and still is) really great. The guitar parts of 'Telegraph road' remain among the very best ever recorded by any artist. And every time I hear the first few guitar notes of 'Brothers in Arms' (the song, not the album!) I get goosebumps.

Dream Theater 

Symphonic/progressive hard rock that gets on your nerves if you're not totally into it. I am, so I love almost all of their albums. Tempo changes, key changes, multi-layered melodies, strange harmonics, all shredding away at high volume. They're great. Just one complaint though: some parts of their songs resemble other artists way too much (for example 'Never Enough' on the 'Octavarium' album resembles Muse to the smallest detail). They might call it tributes, I just call it lazy and cheap.

Steve Earle 

This hardcore troubadour is one of the few artists of which I dare to say that he has changed my life. His view on music and lyrics changed what I value in music, life and love. His records typically are all over the place, containing rock, country, bluegrass, acoustic and electric guitar thrashing, and very intense lyrics. But most of all he is a great songwriter. My personal favourites are 'El Corazon' and 'Train a comin'.

Flairck 

Dutch acoustic multi-istrumental ethnic chamber music ensemble. Sort of... Their line-up changes constantly but has always contained frontman Erik Visser. To me, he is one of *the* best guitar players in the world. I saw them numerous times in concert and that's really a spectacular sight.

Peter Gabriel 

Heart and soul of Genesis, so after he left and a certain drummer took over, I lost all interest. But Gabriel's revenge was sweet: his work as a solo artist is wonderful, mixing acoustic and electronic instrumentation to great effect, producing very intense and emotional work. Pity his albums take so long to be released.

Steve Howe 

As stated elsewhere on this site: Steve howe is the only reason I started playing guitar some 20 years ago. He's one of a kind, with a tasteful mix of electric and acoustic playing. As a matter of fact, he's the only rock guitarist I know of that does acoustic guitar work justice. Not just a bit of strumming for a quiet part of a song, but mature, complex structures and great melodies that fit well into the music. Is there anything not great about this guy? Eh, let's see: his singing voice is so awful it has to be heard to be believed. Honestly. But do it at your own risk. Apart from that: almost anything he's done is at least worth listening to. Apart from the 'Homebrew' series, which is for hardcore geeks only. Needless to say, I own all three of them.

Janis Ian 

One of my favourite singer-songwriters of all time. She has written tons of really great songs, writes beautiful and wise lyrics, plays the guitar very tastefully, and her concerts are simply incredible. We had front row seats for her concert in Deventer, and I'm not ashamed to admit I cried several times during her performance. The world really is a more beautiful place because of her...

Jethro Tull 

Folk-rockers with a strange choice of instrumentation, especially on their earlier albums, containing a mix of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and flute. Their front man, Ian Anderson, plays the acoustic guitar very well, and sure knows how to write a good song with sharp lyrics. My favourite albums are 'Songs from the Wood' and 'Heavy Horses'. Oh yes, and 'Minstrel in the Gallery' because of the magnificent acoustic guitar driven suite 'Baker Street Muse'.

John 5 

Let's see. He played guitar with Marylin Manson, is a member of the Rob Zombie group, has more tattoos on his arms than there are notes in an Yngwie Malmsteen solo, is engaged to a porn star, and seems obsessed with sex and serial killers. What the hell is this freak doing on this site? Well, he's also one of the most innovative guitar players in rock, mixing all sorts of exotic techniques and musical styles. He's also into bluegrass and chicken picking, which, combined with the extreme heavyness of his rock oriented work, makes for an adventurous listening. And in interviews he comes across as a very nice guy. Listen to his album 'Songs for Sanity' to understand why we're proud to have him on this list.
There's only one problem with his music: it's so noisy and loud that I can only listen to it when I'm home alone. So I guess it's true what they say about marriage: it forces you to listen to sappy crappy mainstream music! Luckily I'm married to somebody who adores Mahler. So we're both guilty of loving music the other one hates. That makes it easier to negotiate playlist controls.

Alison Krauss and Union Station 

Bluegrass band from the USA formed around female singer and violin player Alison Krauss. As a solo artist she's way too sweet sounding to my taste, but as front lady of the bluegrass ensemble Union Station I really adore her. Of course, she's surrounded by some of the best bluegrass players in the business, but even then, she's a force to be reckoned with on vocals and violin. She sings like and angel with sugar on top, and while this approach removes all tension and agression, it sure sounds pretty! I just melt away listening to some of her songs. One, 'Deeper than Crying', was played at my sister's funeral. I'm still moved by it every time I hear it.

Laïs 

Belgian a capella trio, singing in many languages, but mainly in Dutch and French. They mix traditional songs with contemporary work, and while their repertoir in origin is a bit corny, their approach to it makes it sound really cool. This can best be heard on their excellent album 'Dorothea'. It contains singing in many, sometimes strange, languages, so it's slso highly recommended to people who don't speak Dutch.

David Lindley 

The Prince of Polyester. He's great on all sorts of acoustic fretted instruments, has a very strange sense of humour, and seems to fully enjoy everything he does. Even though much of his work is based on traditional instruments, Mr. Dave, as he is also known, is a breath of fresh air in contemporary acoustic guitar music.

Marillion 

To fish or not to fish? Ehh... let's see... no fish for me please. I'm probably the only Marillion fan who doesn't own any of their albums with Fish on vocals. I do have most with Hogarth on vocals though. He's totally fascinating to look at and listen to. There's so much emotion in his lyrics and the way he sings them. On some songs, like during the final minutes of 'This Strange Engine', you feel like he could explode, or just die, at any moment. As a band, Marillion are a nice combination of straight rock and symphonic nerdy stuff. They can rock and sound beautiful at the same time.

Loreena McKennitt 

Female singer and harp player that combines Celtic music with Arabic influences. She has a very good understanding of how different cultures have influenced each other's music, and she knows how to completely avoid the new age trap of simply throwing some traditional instruments together and making it sound modern by adding some keyboards. No, on her albums, when she sings an arrangement of some old poem, you hear old instruments to accompany her. Played as they were way back when vibrato was considered bad taste. My favourite album by her is called 'An Ancient Muse'. My favourite song by her is 'The Highwayman' from her album 'The Book of Secrets'. That song alone sums up everything I love about her music. It's basicly one melody repeated over and over again, as she tells a brutal story filled with murder and betrayal, but by subtle changes in the arrangement, there's never a dull moment in the entire song. You even find yourself listening breathlessly to her story, anxious to learn how it will end, even after having heard it for hundreds of times. And that's quite unique!

Monte Montgomery 

I first heard of this guitar player through a review of his 'Mirror' CD in Acoustic Guitar Magazine. I bought the CD and was completely shocked because I thought I heard an electric player (back in the days where I only wanted to listen to acoustic players). So not only does he sing like a rock singer, he also treats his acoustic guitar the way a rock guitarist plays his electric guitar. His style is *very* agressive, with blistering solos and all kinds of techniques than must be hell on the fingers and the instrument. His songs tend to be on the longish side, but have great structure and melody. And damn, he looks hot!

Steve Morse 

Once the lead guitar player of the incredible band Dixie Dregs (later known as The Dregs), this electric guitar player now plays with Deep Purple. As a solo artist he's great, playing mostly instrumental rock music, but always with such energy that the listener can't help but be left behind breathless. He also comes across as one of the nicest persons in the business. You know, somebody who doesn't have to be cocky, because his talent is enough to get his point across without feeling the need to prove himself. No inflated guitar ego here.

Muse 

Of all the new band emerging somewhere around the nineties, I think this one is the most original. They're certainly the most intense. Their music is a very compact ball of energy screaming into your ears, demanding to be heard. Great guitar playing too, if only a bit too much distortion for my taste. Favourite album? 'Absolution'. Absolutely!

Nickel Creek 

They play a tasteful mix of traditional bluegrass mixed with modern pop. That sounds awful on paper, but left in the hands of these very young but very, very talented players, it sounds incredible. I would recommend their album 'This Side' as a great introduction to their music.

Nits 

Without any doubt the best band from The Netherlands. They might sing in English, but their apporach to music and arrangements is very European, almost resembling a melting pot of different cultural influences. Their line-up has changed many times over the year, but I like them best when they are a trio (Henk Hofstede on guitar and vocals, Robert Jan Stips on keyboards and Rob Kloet on percussion). Rob Kloet is my favourite drummer *ever*, playing highly original drum parts that may sound simple on a technical level, but are totally unique to each song. Rober Jan Stips has the same aproach to keyboard parts. More like sound patterns than anything else, they fit each song perfectly, as opposed to the easier way of simply cementing the song together with strings. Henk Hofstede is the visual and lyrical driving force behind the band, and is a great, if modest, front man. He sings lead vocals and plays guitar and keyboads. Each of their albums is totally different from the others, which may throw off newcomers, but it's always recognisable as Nits music. I've seen them in concert about 7 times now, and *every* concert has enriched my life, and left me feeling totally happy and inspired for weeks. If I have to point out one album that does everything I think makes this band unique, it has to be 'Giant Normal Dwarf'. If you listen to it, listen to all of it, not just a couple of songs. It's the context of the entire album that makes it like some sort of musical fairy tale book. And the artwork is fantastic.

Pink Floyd 

Legendary psychedelic rock group from England. Ehh... let's see, is there anything more to say? Hmm... no, I guess not. Favourite track: 'Dogs' from the 'Animals' album.

Queen 

Wow. No other band has been as important to me during my teenage years. And Freddie Mercury is one of my all time heroes. That man literally dripped with musicality (and bad taste, haha). Brian May was unique in his approach to the guitar during their first albums, but seemed to be caught in his own trap, doing the same thing over and over later in their career. Albums like 'Queen II' and 'A Night at the Opera' are simply incredible, containing music that was never heard before and has never been done after. One more thing: it's a bloody shame that May and Toylor dare to operate under the name of Queen in their collaborations with Paul Rogers, who by himself is a great singer. But he's simply no Freddie Mercury. So Brian, for God's sake, leave this band alone and start something fresh and new!!!

Reckless Kelly 

The first time I heard these country rockers I could swear I heard Steve Earle. And that's no bad recommendation. They tend to be a bit middle of the road, but sure know how to play their instruments and how to write catchy rock songs.

Rush 

Power trio from Canada. During their entire career they kept on reinventing themselves, sometimes in ways that I could not appreciate, but in my opinion they're right back on track these days. I like them best when they simply play guitar, bass and drums without too many overdubs. Geddy Lee's vocals can and will wake up every dog in your neighbourhood. Neil Peart's lyrics are gentle, wise and moving, and Alex Lifeson's guitar playing is beyond believe. Favourite albums: 'Hemispheres', 'Counterparts' and 'Vapor Trails'. Seriously.

Harry Sacksioni 

Dutch acoustic guitar player. Sort of our very own Leo Kottke. He plays instrumentals in a wide range of styles, which for some means that he's simply imitating other players. I don't agree, I think there's a lot of Sacksioni himself in his compositions. A lot of them I like to play myself, it's great stuff to play on the guitar and almost all is very wel transcribed and documented by Sacksioni himself.

Mathilde Santing 

'Singing pretentious bitch from Holland' or 'Best Dutch female vocalist'? Well, to be honest, a little bit of both. Even though she doesn't write her own material, a lot of beautiful songs have been written for her, and her nose for good cover material is unparallelled. Her arrangements are very often done by Sebastiaan Koolhoven, who uses a lot of Jazz techniques in pop music arrangements. It's all over the 'To Others to One' album, my personal favourite. I saw her in concert once, and while she came over as kind of cold-hearted and detached from her audience, her singing was astounding.

Klaus Schulze 

One of the most important pioneers in electronic music. Some of his music is the best synthesizer stuff ever recorded. On the other hand, some is very boring and repetitive. He has recorded dozens and dozens of albums, and in my opinion it's a bit silly to want to own them all. But that's just me.

Paul Simon 

Maybe the ultimate singer-songwriter. During his time with Simon and Garfunkel he wrote all of their songs, which were beautifully performed by the two of them. Later, in his solo career, he combined his songwriting skills with musical influences from all over the globe. Most well know is the African stuff on 'Graceland', but I think the Latin American influences on 'Songs from the Capeman' are much better. His album with electronic guru Brian Eno is one of the very few truly original collaborations in pop history. And Simon still sings like he's 20, even though he's over 60! Incredible.

Martin Simpson 

Singer and acoustic guitar player, playing a nice mix of blues, contemporary folk songs and old English music. Incredible guitar technique and a striking voice. I would love to see him live some day, but when will he visit Holland??? Probably never! Thanks, Martin.

Gerard Slooven 

Very modest and incredibly talented brilliant acoustic guitar player from Holland.

The Smiths 

Not so very popular in Holland, and probably totally unknown in America, this was one of the most influential pop bands in England during the eighties. The guitar work of Johnnie Marr was very refined and totally underrated by many. Their frontman Morrissey could not sing one note in key most of the time, but even so he's one of my favourite singers, false notes and all. I can't explain it, he simply is. And let's not forget his lyrics. Oh I'll just say it: Morrissey is the best lyricist ever. Ever, you here me? EVER!!!

30 Odd Foot of Grunts 

I'll be honest here. I developed a major crush on Russell Crowe after I saw him in Gladiator. So when I stumbled across his band on the internet, I ordered their CD 'Gaslight'. I admit it, wrong motive, but great results: I still think it is brilliant. It's exciting, raw, unpolished, energetic and very masculine songwriting and performing. Well, Crowe became totally polluted by Hollywood, the same Hollywood he spat upon when he still was a good actor. And the band fell for it: Two years later it was 'Russell Crowe and 30 Odd Foot of Grunts', and now he's a solo artist. Singing God-awful love songs. But still, 'Gaslight' is great, still giving me a funny feeling in my stomach every time I hear it. And I'm a married man these days!

Steve Vai 

American rock guitar player with a very, and I do mean very, strange approach to music. Frank Zappa saw that early on and recruited him. Vai is very much influenced by Zappa, but even more he is following his own ideas, which are unique. His music is loud, bloated with sounds and layers, embarrassingly intimate, and simply totally weird. But at the same time it's still very well written and melodic. No experiments for experiment's sake here. Well, most of the time (listen to 'So happy' to hear something you really never heard before). You never know what to expect from this guy. Anything can and will happen just around the corner. Guitar solo of 8 minutes? Check! Intermezzo with 30 guitars playing backwards? Check! Sounds of a woman giving birth while the band plays music in a tonality containing 13 notes per octave instead of 12? Check! And so on and so on... Favourite album: 'Sex and Religion'. What I really like about this album is that is starts strange, and keeps getting weirder and weirder, up to a point where you cannot believe your own ears. Most peoplo will give up during the sex-with-pigs-implying moaning noises, but hang on, there's a crucifixion and a birth sequence ('push! push' - 'Aaaaargghhh' - you get the idea) to follow! It's truly shocking music, but not just for effect: it serves a purpose and it really gets the point across. Brilliant.

Vangelis 

My favourite musician in the world. As a matter of fact, he's too special for me to describe him in one paragraph. So just listen to his music, and find out for yourself...

Wende Snijders 

Dutch female singer who excels in singing French chansons. Her stage performance is incredible. She sucks you in with her energy and doesn't let go for the entire show. I saw her twice and was exhausted the next day on both occasions.

Yes 

Let's see: they have Jon Anderson on vocals, Steve Howe on guitar, and Rick Wakeman on keyboards. How could they not be my favourite band? But just like Vangelis, they are a bit too special for me to try to put into words how much this music means to me. Find out for yourself.