MUSIC

Mannerisms Magnified
CD/DIGIPAK RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2010
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Written, arranged, performed, and engineered by multi-instrumentalist Dale Turner (recorded entirely within his living room and bedroom office), MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED is one of the most eclectic—yet surprisingly cohesive—rock albums conceived and executed by a lone musician in recent memory. (Imagine the haunting unpredictability of Radiohead, dynamic peaks/valleys of Jimmy Gnecco's OURS, with a dose of King's X heaviness and Mr. Bungle's quirkiness, interspersed with Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith-like introspective vocal moments—all polished off with Beach Boys/Brian Wilson-meets-Bobby McFerrin-style vocal arrangements and Jon Brion-esque instrumental bits.)

While the focus of this 12-song collection is clearly "presentation of songcraft," MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED is heavily propelled by Turner's nuanced fretwork (acoustic and electric guitar influences that include the aforementioned Buckley and Smith, along with Steve Morse, Tommy Emmanuel, John Frusciante, Ani DiFranco, Ty Tabor, Andrew York, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck—many of whom Turner has had the privilege of conducting interviews/private lessons with at his former "job") and wide-ranging vocal approaches (from eerie whispers, dreamy falsetto, and stunningly-intricate harmonies, to full-throttle rock wails, cartoon-like voices, and throat singing effects).

Over a decade ago, various hand injuries (Carpal Tunnel and Tendinitis, among others) prompted Turner to abandon various aspects of his guitar style (fast playing, most string bends, and certain other aggressive fret-hand moves) and focus intensively on songcraft, morph his six-string statements into something more orchestral/piano-like, as well as develop his varied vocal interests. This first resulted in 2004's INTERPRETATIONS (a live guitar-and-vocal only covers album done as a tribute to Jeff Buckley). On the all-original MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED, all songs (with the exception of the multi-tracked a cappella opening cut, and Brian Wilson homage, "Brian on the Brain") still feature acoustic guitar and voice as their foundation (the manner in which Turner currently performs them live, as a solo act), but have been augmented in the recording process with Turner's subtly unorthodox drumming (self taught by transcribing Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith's drum parts, studying Steve Smith's instructional videos, and various drum instructional books), linear-yet-supportive bass playing (influenced by Flea, first and foremost, along with Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, and Carol Kaye), and, of course, Turner's vast array of electric guitar sounds. Add to that, Turner's piano, mandolin, and accordion touches on select cuts—and the fact that virtually any other “instrument” heard is actually a vocal sound (think: Mike Patton meets Bobby McFerrin meets Raul Midon)—and you get a hint of the unpredictable, yet highly-musical listening experience this 42-minute sonic journey offers.

Though MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED contains its share of humorous moments in the lyrics department (comedy which Turner claims inspiration from Dr. Seuss, Tom Lehrer, George Carlin, Bill Maher, and David Cross), the majority of songs deal with serious subjects—things Turner feels strongly about, like religion, women/women's rights, racism, child abduction/abuse, death/suicide, gay rights, chemical dependency, and various types of social/psychological dysfunction. (Does the world really need another dozen love songs?)

MANNERISMS MAGNIFIED was initially mixed on a Power Mac G4 by Dale Turner, then remixed (from stems) through vintage/modern analog gear by sonic wizard Robert Wawoe. Mastered by Eddy Schreyer (Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Take 6, Korn, Queen) at Oasis Mastering.

CD/DigiPak includes original art/illustrations and complete lyrics booklet.

AVAILABLE THROUGH:
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ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The former West Coast Editor (1996-2007) of the now defunct Guitar One magazine, in addition to working as a performing/recording musician and producing engineer, Dale Turner is an instructor at Hollywood's Musician's Institute (where he teaches Jimi Hendrix-style rhythm guitar improvisation, music theory/ear training, sight-reading, and rhythmic independence for the singing guitarist), and author of 50+ instructional books/transcription folios (his latest being Power Plucking - A Rocker's Guide to Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar). He also writes a monthly acoustic guitar column for Guitar World magazine, and is featured in their Lick of the Day App. for iPhone/iPad.

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OTHER RELEASES:

Interpretations - by Dale Turner An intimate recording of solo arrangements for acoustic guitar and voice—10 inventive versions of cover songs ranging from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," to Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand" and Nilsson's "Coconut," all recorded live in a bedroom/office (played and sung simultaneously). Dedicated to Jeff Buckley. Released January 27, 2004

Daleboots - by Dale Turner Here's a little page where you can check out some ULTRA-RAW live recordings of your silly site host, Dale Turner, yodeling and strummin'. Mind you, none of these performances are “great,” they're merely experiments—your site host testing out some new, atypical numbers (acoustic guitar & vocals) in front of real human beings. Please don't condemn him for the occasional “sluffed” chord or his sometimes out-of-tune tenor! Consider this section for entertainment purposes only!

Unassigned Territory - by David Pritchard With Unassigned Territory, guitarist/composer David Pritchard expands upon his unique approach to acoustic guitar music which was debuted in his last recording, Air Patterns. On Unassigned Territory he is joined by fellow acoustic guitarists Dale Turner, Joseph Jewell, and Jack Majdecki. In addition, the guitar quartet is joined on three cuts by vocalist Teri De Sario.

The Aftermath - by Dale Turner A musical tribute to the victims of September 11, 2001. Like most people on this planet, the events that occurred on September 11, 2001 left me with great feelings of sadness, fear, sickness, and anger. Like most musicians on this planet, I turned to the soothing sounds of an instrument to calm my nerves. As I watched that day's events unfold on the TV screen, a somewhat disturbing (yet hopeful?) arrangement of chords began to fall into place. This was the impetus for a song I'd soon choose to call “The Aftermath.”

10 Christmas Classics - by Buck (Dale Turner) & Mildred Hicks Fresh musical interpretations of 10 Christmas classics, available for free MP3 download: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Little Drummer Boy," "Jingle Bells," "Up On the Housetop," "White Christmas," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and more! Instruments used include Kalimba, kazoo, nose flute, ocarina, and numerous unique percussion and voice effects.