Biography
Pittsburgh-born guitarist Rich Stein displays equal command of electric and acoustic instruments while working in the folk-rock instrumental field. His playing draws from the acoustic fingerpicking tradition associated with John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Peter Lang, yet he has stated that he is “equally influenced” by Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp of King Crimson and Richard Thompson. Because Stein moves freely between the two guitars rather than limiting himself to acoustic fingerstyle, he stands apart from dedicated pickers and occupies a distinctive position among instrumental folk-rock artists.
Although born in Mt. Lebanon, PA, Stein passed much of his childhood and adolescence in the Detroit region. During his junior year of high school the family relocated to a St. Louis suburb; later, as a young adult, he pursued classical guitar studies with Douglas Niedt at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He subsequently spent two semesters at Ohio State University continuing his guitar training before relocating to New York City and establishing residence in Queens. While teaching music at a Long Island high school, Stein married in New York and became the father of two children born in 1992 and 1995. He has observed that the demands of parenthood did not impede his music; on the contrary, they motivated greater discipline and sharper focus in his work as both performer and composer.
Stein issued his first recording, the nineteen-minute EP Hands On, in 1998 on his own Clear Stear Music imprint. That acoustic-only effort followed a solo fingerpicking approach rooted in the Fahey/Kottke/Lang/Stefan Grossman lineage. His next project, the 2003 full-length album Unspoken, also appeared on Clear Steer yet expanded the palette by incorporating guest musicians and both acoustic and electric guitars. Although Fahey, Kottke and Lang remained audible reference points, Unspoken also reflected the impact of non-fingerstyle players. Bassist Philip A. Jimenez, with whom Stein had performed in the late-’90s group Jordan River, produced the album. In addition to his own releases on Clear Steer, Stein has contributed to recordings by the independent artists Sarah Haddock, Brian Sendrowitz, Seth Davis, Sonny Meadows, Akiva, Bill Ayers and Michael Clark.
Although born in Mt. Lebanon, PA, Stein passed much of his childhood and adolescence in the Detroit region. During his junior year of high school the family relocated to a St. Louis suburb; later, as a young adult, he pursued classical guitar studies with Douglas Niedt at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He subsequently spent two semesters at Ohio State University continuing his guitar training before relocating to New York City and establishing residence in Queens. While teaching music at a Long Island high school, Stein married in New York and became the father of two children born in 1992 and 1995. He has observed that the demands of parenthood did not impede his music; on the contrary, they motivated greater discipline and sharper focus in his work as both performer and composer.
Stein issued his first recording, the nineteen-minute EP Hands On, in 1998 on his own Clear Stear Music imprint. That acoustic-only effort followed a solo fingerpicking approach rooted in the Fahey/Kottke/Lang/Stefan Grossman lineage. His next project, the 2003 full-length album Unspoken, also appeared on Clear Steer yet expanded the palette by incorporating guest musicians and both acoustic and electric guitars. Although Fahey, Kottke and Lang remained audible reference points, Unspoken also reflected the impact of non-fingerstyle players. Bassist Philip A. Jimenez, with whom Stein had performed in the late-’90s group Jordan River, produced the album. In addition to his own releases on Clear Steer, Stein has contributed to recordings by the independent artists Sarah Haddock, Brian Sendrowitz, Seth Davis, Sonny Meadows, Akiva, Bill Ayers and Michael Clark.
Albums
