This is a special announcement going out to guitar nerds, star-gazers, rock aficionados and music lovers of all ages! This week, several critically acclaimed musicians will bring their distinctive brands of rock to WOW Hall. Tonight, jazz, classic rock and world beats will come together with the efforts of Alien Love Child and The Derek Trucks Band. Then on Sunday, The Trey Gunn Band will display some of the most bizarre instruments to grace the rock genre.

The Derek Trucks Band
Derek Trucks loves playing guitar. It’s a good thing — he has been on tour almost continually since the age of 11.
Trucks views touring as a way to spread a message. “I want to turn people on to the great music,” Trucks said in a phone interview from Ventura, Calif. “A whole lot of bands aren’t playing for the right reasons anymore.”
Trucks is quick to point out the importance of his musical influences — the great musicians who came before him. “If I had to pick out my biggest influences, I would say Duane Allman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis,” he said, adding, “and Eastern Indian classical.” In addition, Trucks’ uncle Butch is the longtime drummer for the Allman Brothers Band.
According to a January 2000 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Trucks has been listening to the masters since he was a baby.
“He went to sleep at night listening to Duane Allman’s blistering work on ‘Live at the Fillmore East,’” said reporter Scott Mervis, “and at the age of nine, his dad bought him a $5 acoustic guitar at a garage sale.”
Since his debut, the native of Jacksonville, Fla., has performed with legends such as Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, John Lee Hooker, Phish and Blues Traveler. In 1999, Trucks joined classic rock legend the Allman Brothers Band as lead and slide guitarist to replace the late Duane Allman. These days, Trucks, now 21, leads The Derek Trucks Band in his time off from the Allman Brothers Band.
“It took a long time to get the chemistry of the band just right,” he said. “We just recently got it.”
The other members of Trucks’ band are Yonrico Scott on drums, Todd Smallie on bass, Javier Colon on lead vocals and percussion, and Kofi Burbridge on flute and keyboards. Trucks plays the lead and slide guitars.
“We have a strange mix of musicians,” Trucks said. “It catches people off guard. Like Kofi will just start playing ‘A Love Supreme’ on his flute in the middle of the set,” he said, referring to the John Coltrane masterpiece. “It’s worth hearing.”
The Derek Trucks Band is touring with GRAMMY Award winning Eric Johnson and his band, Alien Love Child. Tickets are $22.50 in advance and $25 at the door. They may be purchased at WOW Hall and FASTIXX outlets. Doors open tonight at 7 p.m. and showtime is at 8 p.m. For more information, call 687-2746.

The Trey Gunn Band
Trey Gunn has come a long way from his student days in the University’s School of Music. Now, Gunn travels around the world, delivering music that “grooves.” His masterful guitar skills even landed him a well-paying job with progressive rock masterminds King Crimson. When Gunn isn’t playing with the other five members of Crimson, he tours with his own band.
“Playing with this band is more fun than Crimson, which is still pretty fun,” said Gunn in a phone interview from his Seattle home. “It’s really exciting. We’re doing a lot of improvisation. We’re walking a tightrope.”
Gunn works with Tony Geballe, who plays electric guitar and adds a world flavor to the music.
“He studied Turkish music in America and then moved to Turkey to study with a master,” Gunn said.
The third member of the band, Bob Muller, lends a fabulous array of unpronounceable percussives to the mix. Among the exotic drums are tabla, darbouka, gamelan drum, rik and metals.
However, Gunn himself plays the band’s signature instrument: the “touch” guitar. Developed by Gunn and Mark Warr of Warr Guitars, the touch guitar is played with both hands on the neck of the guitar, Gunn said.
“The touch guitar has six octaves and nearly the range of a piano. You can play bass notes or higher solo notes — or both at once.”
For this tour, touch guitarist Randy Strom will join The Trey Gunn Band for added complexity. “We can switch playing bass or solo parts just like that!” Gunn said.
The band’s performances tend to be eclectic and spur-of-the-moment. “I would say a third to a half of our performances are improvised,” Gunn said. “But you would never know … It’s exciting to me.”
The Trey Gunn Band is playing at WOW Hall on Sunday night. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Showtime is 8 p.m. For more information, call 687-2746.