Michael Hedges

Michael Hedges, an acoustic guitarist and composer known for his unusual two-handed picking style, has died in an automobile crash. He was 43. Hedges died in a one-car crash on California 128 in rural Mendocino County, about 100 miles northwest of San Francisco, California Highway Patrol Officer Bob Burke said. A work crew discovered the guitarist's body in his wrecked 1986 BMW Tuesday morning.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek Previously known as simply "sound," the addition of "mixing" to this category's title clarifies the difference from its close neighbor "sound editing." In the final step of the aural process, sound mixers strive to achieve the proper balance between dialogue, music and effects. This year included numerous multiple nominees within the same category.

"I kind of cringe when reviewers call what I do 'wind chime music,' before they've ever heard me," said guitarist Michael Hedges. One of the brightest stars in the Windham Hill firmament, Hedges didn't seem really annoyed, just eager to separate himself from the company's well-known New Age identification.

Michael Hedges, an acoustic guitarist and composer known for his unusual two-handed picking style, has died in an automobile crash. He was 43. Hedges died in a one-car crash on California 128 in rural Mendocino County, about 100 miles northwest of San Francisco, California Highway Patrol Officer Bob Burke said. A work crew discovered the guitarist's body in his wrecked 1986 BMW Tuesday morning.

Michael Hedges hasn't been spending much time in the recording studio in the last year or two. The Northern California guitarist-singer, who created a series of strikingly inventive acoustic guitar albums on Windham Hill in the '80s, has been concentrating lately on other matters. "I can't get into that whole process of making a record, touring, writing music, making another record, touring, and so forth," says Hedges, who performs tonight at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

In the mild-mannered world of the solo acoustic guitar, Michael Hedges is a gadfly--albeit a gentle one, with an ear for pretty tones and chords. He doesn't so much sit and politely play guitar as he pounces, striking the strings with his right hand to set off ringing harmonics or pounding out rhythms on the body of the guitar. A transplanted Oklahoman, Hedges landed in the Bay Area at the right time, just as Windham Hill Records was making acoustic music safe for the masses.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek Previously known as simply "sound," the addition of "mixing" to this category's title clarifies the difference from its close neighbor "sound editing." In the final step of the aural process, sound mixers strive to achieve the proper balance between dialogue, music and effects. This year included numerous multiple nominees within the same category.

His hair may now be trimmed to a buzz, and his flowered jackets replaced by Rambo fatigues, but Michael Hedges still has the look of a man in disguise--a folk rocker in Windham Hill clothes. His opening set at the Roxy on Tuesday night was a study in the Jekyll/Hyde transformations that have characterized Hedges' music from the beginning. Moody, floating pieces alternated with ferociously rhythmic strumming and better than serviceable vocals.

In the quest to sustain a career in music, some artists tune their creative frequencies to a specific market. By contrast, others work so hard to avoid definition that they become commercially transparent and largely overlooked. Then there are the musicians whose approach falls somewhere in between, such as guitarist Michael Hedges, who brings his unique, one-man show to Humphrey's on Sunday.

This Mississippi country singer sounds like Alison Krauss' older, slightly deeper-voiced sister, with a dash of Reba McEntire sass adding bite to her bluegrass-rooted purity. This debut benefits further from songs, both her own and by other writers, that prize honest emotion over cliche. ** 1/2 Various artists, "Sounds of Wood & Steel," Windham Hill. The appeal of this multi-artist instrumental showcase for Taylor Guitars will vary according to your fondness for fret-board proficiency.

In the mild-mannered world of the solo acoustic guitar, Michael Hedges is a gadfly--albeit a gentle one, with an ear for pretty tones and chords. He doesn't so much sit and politely play guitar as he pounces, striking the strings with his right hand to set off ringing harmonics or pounding out rhythms on the body of the guitar. A transplanted Oklahoman, Hedges landed in the Bay Area at the right time, just as Windham Hill Records was making acoustic music safe for the masses.

In the quest to sustain a career in music, some artists tune their creative frequencies to a specific market. By contrast, others work so hard to avoid definition that they become commercially transparent and largely overlooked. Then there are the musicians whose approach falls somewhere in between, such as guitarist Michael Hedges, who brings his unique, one-man show to Humphrey's on Sunday.

Michael Hedges hasn't been spending much time in the recording studio in the last year or two. The Northern California guitarist-singer, who created a series of strikingly inventive acoustic guitar albums on Windham Hill in the '80s, has been concentrating lately on other matters. "I can't get into that whole process of making a record, touring, writing music, making another record, touring, and so forth," says Hedges, who performs tonight at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

"I kind of cringe when reviewers call what I do 'wind chime music,' before they've ever heard me," said guitarist Michael Hedges. One of the brightest stars in the Windham Hill firmament, Hedges didn't seem really annoyed, just eager to separate himself from the company's well-known New Age identification.

His hair may now be trimmed to a buzz, and his flowered jackets replaced by Rambo fatigues, but Michael Hedges still has the look of a man in disguise--a folk rocker in Windham Hill clothes. His opening set at the Roxy on Tuesday night was a study in the Jekyll/Hyde transformations that have characterized Hedges' music from the beginning. Moody, floating pieces alternated with ferociously rhythmic strumming and better than serviceable vocals.

A Windham Hill artist encoring with Prince's "A Love Bizzarre"? That's hardly the mellow ambiance generally associated with the popular "new-age" record company. But that's how acoustic guitarist/singer Michael Hedges capped his stunning, often fiery set Saturday at the Greek Theatre. It was a fitting gesture in a concert that proved that the label's music--often derided as "musical quiche"--can be lively and humorous, and is anything but homogenous.

Guitarist Martino, who was forced to relearn his instrument after suffering a brain aneurysm in 1980, retains a solid identity in these diverse collaborations with seven fellow guitarists ranging from Les Paul to Joe Satriani. Even in the weaker numbers (those with Charlie Hunter, Tuck Andress and Michael Hedges), Martino brings a measure of feeling that his partners never seem able to match. A duet with Cassandra Wilson on Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" seems gratuitous.