The NAMM Show '16 News: Taylor Guitars

Performances held at the Taylor Guitars room during the Winter NAMM Show are always among my highlights of the entire convention (see elsewhere on this blog).

Schedule details were just confirmed and listed below the press release. Note: The NAMM Show is not open to the public.

Taylor Guitars is pleased to announce its artist lineup for NAMM in Anaheim, California. This year brings bluegrass and fingerstyle sensations, international singer-songwriters, and accomplished country music artists to the company's showcase.

 

Kicking off the show on Thursday, January 21, is instrumentalist, Matteo Palmer. Palmer's passion for guitar began after seeing fingerstyle virtuoso Alex De Grassi perform live, and he soon reached out to Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Will Ackerman to pursue his music further.

 

At age 17, Palmer recorded his debut album Out of Nothing at Ackerman's Imaginary Road Studios, and he's currently at work on his follow-up with Ackerman again at the production helm. Palmer will be followed by Grace and Chelsea Constable.The sisters started playing guitar when they were 9 and 10, respectively, and quickly grew into a powerfully dynamic sibling duo. Grace, now 13, has just completed writing, arranging and producing her debut CD, while Chelsea has been featured in many major guitar publications, and at 13 closed the show at Muriel Anderson's All-Star Guitar Night and Steve Morse. Chelsea is also finishing her debut EP and plans to release it later this year.  

Closing out Thursday night will be Grammy-nominated guitar player, singer and songwriter Trey Hensley. Hensley has made a name for himself in bluegrass and country circles, performing at the Grand Ole Opry at age 11, and sharing the stage with the likes of Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Charlie Daniels, Steve Wariner, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs, Blue Highway, J.D. Crowe and many others.

 

In the summer of 2013, Hensley relocated to Nashville and started playing regularly with the International Bluegrass Music Association's 15-time Dobro Player of the Year, Rob Ickes. The duo is currently nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Bluegrass Album of the Year" for their 2015 release Before the Sun Goes Down.

 

On Friday, Swedish fingerstyle guitarist Gabriella Quevedo will take the stage. The daughter of an Argentinean guitarist, Quevedo began her career after being inspired by the fingerstyle players she saw on YouTube. Eventually she started uploading her own videos, which have garnered nearly 40 million views.

 

She was also featured on Guitar World's website for her arrangement of the Eagles' "Hotel California," during which she played the vocal melody, guitar, bass line, and some percussion. Quevedo will be followed by singer-songwriter sensation James TW. The British-born 18-year-old also gained notoriety through YouTube on the strength of his unique sound and deft guitar playing. He was recently signed to Island Records and counts pop sensation Shawn Mendes as a fan of his playing.

 

Saturday evening will welcome three members of the Zac Brown Band; John Driskell Hopkins, Clay Cook, and Daniel de los Reyes. Hopkins is a founding member of the Zac Brown Band and co-writer of such hits as "Toes," "Goodbye in Her Eyes," and the band's first mainstream rock hit, "Heavy Is The Head," which featured former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. Cook boasts an equally impressive musical background. As a student at the Berklee College of Music, Cook co-founded the Lo Fi Masters with Berklee classmate and future star John Mayer.

 

Cook has also played with the likes of Sugarland and the Marshall Tucker Band. He joined Zac Brown in 2011, while continuing to periodically release new material under his own name. Daniel de los Reyes joined the group in 2012. Prior to, he toured with acts among the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Sheryl Crow, Gloria Estefan, Peter Frampton, the Killers and Sting.

 

Following the country jammers will be John and Jacob (pictured above), an Americana band comprised of John Davidson, Jacob Bryant, Trevor Davis, Jake Thrasher and Austin Taylor Smith. In 2015, they toured with country artist Kacey Musgraves and hit the festival circuit, performing at SXSW, Shaky Boots, Stagecoach, and the CMA Music Festival.

 

Evidence of John and Jacob's success appears across the music scene: They co-wrote the hit single, "Done." with The Band Perry, which has sold over 1 million copies; their songs "Be My Girl" and "Breaking the Law" were featured on the hit TV show Nashville; and their self-titled debut album premiered on the Top 10 Billboard Heatseeker Charts.

 

Fans attending the NAMM Show are welcome to view the performances live by visiting the Taylor Room located at 213 ABC.

Taylor Guitars NAMM Performance Schedule*

 

Thursday, January 21

 

3:00 - 4:30 Matteo Palmer (www.matteopalmer.com)

3:45 - 4:15 Chelsea and Grace Constable (https://www.facebook.com/chelseaconstablemuzak)

4:30 - 5:00 Trey Hensley (www.treyhensley.com)

 

Friday, January 22

 

4:00 - 4:45 Gabriella Quevedo (www.gabriellaquevedo.com)

5:00 - 5:45 James TW (www.jamestw.com)

 

Saturday, January 23

 

4:00 - 4:45 John Hopkins, Clay Cook and Daniel de los Reyes (www.zacbrownband.com)
5:00 - 5:45 John and Jacob (www.johnandjacob.com)

 

*Acts are subject to change

About Taylor Guitars

 

Founded in 1974, Taylor Guitars is one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium acoustic and electric guitars. Renowned for blending an innovative use of modern technology with a master craftsman's attention to detail, Taylor guitars are widely considered the best sounding and easiest to play in the world.

 

Many of today's leading musicians make Taylor their guitar of choice, including Jason Mraz, Steven Curtis Chapman, Zac Brown and Taylor Swift, among many others. For additional information, please visit us at www.taylorguitars.com