The Guitar Player's Resource
Rick Mals is a blistering and exciting guitarist whose compositional style has been described as, "Frank Zappa meets Steve Vai after hanging out with Alan Holdsworth." Not far off the mark, as one can readily experience on his all-instrumental CD Rhythm Museum. With chops to spare, and a seemingly boundless creative approach to recording, lovers of high tech, fusiony, razor-edged guitar playing will enter 7th heaven for an approximately 30 minute ride through all eight tracks. Mals possesses a keen sense of melody, balanced (or challenged) by off-kilter structural changes and a sense of humor. From track one to track eight, Rhythm Museum is permeated by Mals' strength and fervor - recently he has undergone a bit of a revival in his attitude towards music, and guess what? This is a good thing.
A music teacher for over 15 years, and a student himself of everything from Zappa to Stravinsky, Rick gained critical acclaim in the mid '90s for his then cassette EP, "Rhythm Museum" in all the guitar magazines. Guitar Player magazine called his music "impressive." Billboard labeled Rick a "guitar virtuoso," while Guitar World magazine described his music as "brilliant... utterly original." He has had the pleasure of opening up for such contemporaries as Steve Vai, Steely Dan and Steve Morse. Rick decided in 2004 to work with Trinity Records to remaster the original tracks and re-release "Rhythm Museum" with added bonus tracks and all new artwork on CD.
With a fresh and revived energy, Mals is now working on new music to be released in 2005.
Trinity Records
United States
Web site: www.trinityrecords.net