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Threefifty Duo has been described as a "classical guitar duo with a rock edge," as musicians Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick seamlessly weave their contemporary rock sensibilities into the rich fabric of classical guitar. After years of writing and performing together and with a second album under Threefifty's belt, the duo's stylistic tendencies have further expanded, with genre blurred by an intensely personal sound that is rhythmic, infectious, engaging, and at once both new and accessible.
Formed in the halls of The Yale School of Music, taught by renowned classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of their hometown New York City, Threefifty Duo has gone on to play in a diverse array of respected venues and festivals, such as SXSW, The 92nd Street Y, The New York Guitar Festival, Southpaw, Pianos, The Monkey, Bennington College, Sarajevo's Dom Armije, Genghis Cohen, Connecticut Guitar Society, and California State University at Long Beach, where choreography was set to their music. Recent projects have also included a collaboration with video artist Jennifer Stock. In the fall of 2010 Threefifty Duo set off for a three-week tour of the UK, where they played as part of CMEAS' Fall UK Tour and the Lancaster Music Festival.
Their self-titled debut album marked the duo as innovators in classical guitar programming, moving effortlessly between the compositions of their classical heroes, contemporary counterparts, and their own creations. While the album captured the verve and enthusiasm of a well-practiced and polished duo, it is Threefifty's sophomore effort, "Circles," that presents the listener with a volume of all original compositions and a full emergence of the duo's distinctive voice, highlighted by Dominic Frasca's sumptuous production.
Threefifty Duo has been featured on WNYC's "New Sounds" with John Schaefer and Premier Guitar magazine's website, and has received critical acclaim from Time Out NY, Guitar Edge Magazine, Vintage Guitar Magazine, Classical Guitar News, Minor 7th, Lancashire Life, and the UK's Classical Guitar Magazine, who wrote of it: "Brilliant! . each track is an attention-grabbing item and throughout there are no low-points. The style is difficult to describe: performing on classical guitars and steel-stringed guitar, Circles is an amalgamation of classical/rock/folk; sometimes romantic, sometimes thrillingly energetic, but at all times spell-binding. Loved every second of it and will play it time and again."
Press:
"Brilliant! That was my first reaction whilst listening to the opening track of this exceptional new release and I was just hoping that this standard was to be kept up during the rest of the programme - and it was. Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick… perform their original compositions in splendid style: each track is an attention-grabbing item and throughout there are no low-points. The style is difficult to describe: performing on classical guitars and steel-stringed guitar, Circles is an amalgamation of classical/rock/folk; sometimes romantic, sometimes thrillingly energetic, but at all times spell-binding. Loved every second of it and will play it time and again."
– Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar Magazine (UK)
"Guitarists Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick enjoy a reputation for eclectic programming and. it's richly deserved. Traditionalists will admire their skillful way with Bach, Handel and Brahms, while new-music mavens will find just as much to love in. [their] own deftly crafted compositions, which mix chamber-music decorum with a pop-honed spirit."
-- Steve Smith, Time Out New York
"Armed with matching Greg Smallman guitars and master's degrees from the Yale School of Music, Threefifty Duo spins modern rock sensibilities into the rich foundation of classical guitar. With the release of their new full-length, Circles (produced by Dominic Frasca), it's apparent Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick are serious about expanding beyond Bach and Brahms to embrace their inner rocker."
-- Guitar Edge
"Spell binding… had the entire club in the palm of their hands… played with conviction, passion and skill."
– this is Devon, The Bideford Review (UK)
"Entertaining and strikingly played." -- Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Threefifty Duo are that unusual musical phenomena best described as an original breakthrough of a traditional genre. They emulate the classical greats not by copying note for note every scored nuance from ancient manuscripts but by forging their own classical style that is deeply influenced by the hot contemporary scene in their native NYC and in doing so come up with something completely fresh, invigorating, and compelling to all audiences… They have the 'wow' factor so important to our agency's selection process in abundance."
-- Benjamin Ruth, CME Artist Services
"We defy anyone to not be drawn into the rhythm, energy and fervor of [Threefifty Duo's] works. [Circles] really is a must have from a highly accomplished and extremely talented performing and composing duo whose music demands to be heard on a wider scale."
-- Classical Guitar News (UK)
"elegant. beautifully produced. two talented genre benders." -– Minor 7th
"terrific.bad to the bone." - The New Haven Independent
"first-rate performance. strong pulse, hooky melodic lines and excellent playing. beautiful. constantly keep[s] the listener engaged." -- TAXI
"Threefifty Duo is about to blow your mind with their classical guitar playing. Proven to be able to keep any crowd entertained. fast fingers and a keen evolution between classical and rock playing is what impresses me the most. A wickedly talented duo, they are sure to impress everyone. Good music you could listen to or watch for hours."
- CD Review
"Unmistakably classical-sounding and unmistakably rocking. The end result. is not a rejection of the classical guitar repertoire, but an evolution. Their background in classical guitar is evident, and the playing is quite lyrical at times. But it also beats with a rock pulse, strums hard and takes listeners on epic dramatic journeys, taking classical guitar out of its pleasant surroundings and into the mosh pit." -- Jon Potter, The Brattleboro Reformer
BOTH OF THREEFIFTY DUO'S CDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES AND THROUGH WWW.THREEFIFTYDUO.COM
