"Music to Squeak By", Vic's ninth solo album, draws on his diverse background. Inspired by the classic guitar instrumental albums of the 50s and 60s, like those of Howard Roberts and The Ventures, it runs the musical gamut from jazz to blues to funk. There's even a somewhat-warped boogie thrown in for good measure. While it was originally intended as a vehicle to collaborate with old friends on some of his original tunes, the shutdowns caused by COVID-19 changed it into a more solitary project. Vic plays or programs all the instruments on this recording for an intensely personal take on these compositions.

The record opens with "Grin". A fusion tune that manages to evoke both Pat Metheny and Toto, it sets the mood for a sometimes cerebral set that still cracks a smile. "Penguin Eddie" follows, with an instrumental funk tribute to a tale of attempted penguin abduction. From its smooth harmonies and dulcet tones, "Laetitia's Lost Chords" would be firmly in the easy-listening camp if not for its constantly shifting meter. "Serva Jugum" continues to warp time, but with a hard-driving gopuccha yati-inspired groove that gives way to solos on a funk waltz. "Kiddo" closes side A with a 12-tone row disguised as a swing ballad. It's a tribute to Vic's grandfather who was, as he puts it, "he was both a lover of irony and completely tone deaf."

Side B opens with "Smolkin's Boogie", a quick boogie-woogie blues that wanders through a few more keys than usual. "Half The Times I've Failed", originally written as a example for lessons, is a study in melodic constraint and the lack thereof, as it moves from moody monotone to free noise. "Frickle Frackle" is a minor blues because every guitar album needs one. A tongue-in-cheek take on the exotic guitar genre, "Somewhere East of Omaha" intentionally misses a smörgåsbord of world influences, landing somewhere else entirely. "Ricky Loves LuLu" closes the album. There was a bridge by Erie, Colorado with these words graffitied on it that Vic would drive under on his way to college in Denver. When the railroad repainted it, "Ricky Still Loves LuLu" appeared the next week written in the the same handwriting. In his words, "that deserves a song".

Ricky Loves LuLu

Kiddo

Penguin Eddie

3ish minutes of the wonder that is Hall D at NAMM.

Every year, the National Association of Music Merchants holds its trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. It features an entire hall of drum and percussion gear, all being played at once. The experience is something like being inside a jackhammer, if said jackhammer was hoping to score a record deal by impressing everyone with its mad chops...

NAMM Hall D

Graphite Addiction plays Pete Ehrmann's "30 and Counting".

From the 2017 Album "Sifferson".

Sifferson

30 and Counting

30 And Counting (with Graphite Addiction)

16 - Thanatos At Eventide

06 - Somewhere We Can Visit

10 - Somewhere Sonny Sings - Near Windows Part 2

06 - Van Tassell

05 - For Almost Dancing - Other Occasions Part 5

07 - Somewhere She Still Is

05 - The One Nice Weekend In September

02 - Late Snow

01 - Minor Apocalypses

Foundry

Somewhere We Called Home

Recorded in a single 1 hour guitar lesson sometime between July and September 2000 at CMIC in Longmont, Colorado.

Just a guitar, a Digitech 2101 and a Boss JS-5 Jamstation

Guitar III Em Song

With his wide-open tone and wryly witty compositions, Colorado-based guitarist Vic Dillahay blends a myriad of styles into an unmistakably unique voice. For over 20 years, he has refined this distinctive sound with numerous jazz ensembles, Liam O'Beirne's progressive Celtic band Indigent Row, and the fusion trio Graphite Addiction with Pete Ehrmann (Generations) and Tim Carmichael (3ology). His discography is equally eclectic, having appeared on over 25 albums ranging from swing jazz to electronic noise. His recent solo work explores the rich history of American music with free-roving jazz, blues, and rock-tinged improvisations.

Vic is committed to supporting music education for everyone, teaching all ages and levels of experience at Boomer Music Company in Fort Collins and Guitars, Etc. in Longmont. He is a sought after clinician and coach across the region with an emphasis on jazz guitar at the middle and high school level. Some of his students have gone on to study music at Berklee School of Music, The University of North Texas, and The University of Colorado Denver and a number of them are currently professional musicians. He is a board member with the Longmont Jazz Association and is the chair of its education committee.

Vic Dillahay

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