NEWS: Greg Howe on tour

Guitarist extraordinaire Greg Howe has announced a tour of the United States and some shows in Canada. Greg Howe first came to prominence as a shred guitarist for Shrapnel Records in late 80s. In the three decades of playing music, he has reached far and wide, and is known for the diversity of his work in shred, progressive, fusion and other styles. Howe is also recognized for his session work with many, many musicians, including pop stars like Michael Jackson, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake, to name but a few. Below is the tour information.

OFFICIAL: North America! Greg Howe tour dates are here!

(featuring Stu Hamm on bass and Gianluca Palmieri on drums)

(08.01.17) New York, NY - Iridium (8pm show)

(08.01.17) New York, NY - Iridium (10pm show)

(08.02.17) New York, NY - Iridium (8pm show)

(08.02.17) New York, NY - Iridium (10pm show)

(08.03.17) New York, NY - Iridium (8pm show)

(08.03.17) New York, NY - Iridium (10pm show)

(08.04.17) Schenectady, NY - The Van Dyck

(08.05.17) New Hope, PA - Havana

(08.09.17) Rochester, NY - Lovin' Cup

(08.10.17) Ottawa, Canada - The Brass Monkey

(08.11.17) Gravenhurst, Canada - Peter's Players

(08.12.17) Toronto, Canada - Rockpile

(08.13.17) Detroit, MI - The Token Lounge

(08.15.17) Chicago, IL - Reggie's

(08.16.17) New Port, KY - South Gate Revival

(08.18.17) McKinney, TX - The Guitar Sanctuary

(08.20.17) Woodlands, TX - Dosey Doe

MORE dates to be announced soon!

In an interview years ago with Guitar World the guitarist gave some insight his beginnings as a shredder for Shrapnel Records, which released his self-titled debut in 1988: "It’s hard to believe it’s been that long [laughs]. There’s a good story behind that. Twenty five years ago, I was in a cover band playing the club circuits in the Lehigh Valley and upstate New York. We had done showcases and had gotten some label interest, but nothing had evolved from it.

At the same time, Mike Varney was running a monthly column in a guitar magazine where he would spotlight three unknown guitar players. Guitarists would send in cassette tapes of their playing and, if Mike really liked you, he'd sign you to his record label. I decided to send in a tape to his PO box, never really expecting to get a response. But I've always believed that if you really want something, there isn't one "set way" to try to get it. Sometimes you have to be imaginative in order to achieve it.

So what I did was also mail another tape to him simultaneously; but this one I sent via Federal Express. I knew that by doing so, my package would be delivered separate from the hundreds of other tapes he'd likely receive. More importantly, someone would have to physically sign for it, and there would be a much better chance of my tape getting delivered to him personally. And that's precisely what happened; I literally got a phone call the next day and was offered a record deal. It was amazing."

OFFICIAL: Greg Howe started playing the guitar at the age of 10 and by his middle teens, after discovering Van Halen, became obsessed with the guitar. By his late teens he had already begun playing in clubs with his rock band, which featured his brother Al on lead vocals. Over the course of the next few years Greg continued to hone his guitar skills while playing and performing a repertoire of mostly cover tunes for audiences in clubs throughout the North East with his rock band.

In 1988 Shrapnel Records owner and renowned guitar connoisseur Mike Varney asked Howe to record an album for his label after hearing a demo that Greg had sent him with the hopes of being featured in Varney's Spotlight column for Guitar Player magazine. That album, simply entitled "Greg Howe", featured then David Lee Roth’s bassist Billy Sheehan and renowned drummer Atma Anur. It instantly caught the attention of the whole guitar community and eventually led to numerous endorsement deals, print advertising and countrywide clinics, as well as being named #10 in the top ten shred albums of all times by Guitar World Magazine.

After recording two vocal albums with his brother (1990's "High Gear" and 1991's "Now Hear This"), Greg’s second solo album (1993's "Introspection") set the tone for what would eventually become a series of eight fresh forays in to the mosaic of fusion, rock, funk, blues, and jazz. With each subsequent album - 1994's "Uncertain Terms", 1995's "Parallax", 1996's "Five", 1998's "Ascend", and 2000's "Hypercuity" Howe would make bolder and more satisfying strides into fusion music.

Along the way Howe has continuously made himself available as a session and sideman musician for many of the world's biggest pop stars. In 1996, he replaced Jennifer Batten as lead guitarist during the Asian and European legs of Michael Jackson's HIStory World Tour. He would later provide guitar duties for singer Enrique Iglesias in 2000, which culminated in a series of high-profile televised performances and a European tour. The following two years saw Howe recruited as lead guitarist for boy band NSYNC during two tours of the United States. After singer Justin Timberlake left NSYNC, Howe continued to tour with him in 2003, although ultimately ended up having to leave in order to complete work on his album "Extraction", the critically acclaimed all-star funk fusion extravaganza, featuring electric bass virtuoso Victor Wooten (of the flecktones ) and the legendary drummer Dennis Chambers.

In 2008 Greg Howe released “Sound Proof”, which has been arguably reviewed as one of Howe’s best albums. In both 2009 and 2010 Greg teamed back up with Justin Timberlake to perform at the 51st Grammy’s Award Show and JT’s Shriner’s Hospital Charity Event. Greg also appeared on the 2011 release of Michael Jackson's second posthumous album, "Immortal", which featured Howe's playing on "Dancing Machine" and "Beat It". Greg has also played with many other artists, such as Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Lady Antebellum, P Diddy, T-Pain, Nelly, Tim McGraw, and Salt-N-Pepa.

Greg Howe's busy schedule continues with various projects and is very active with guitar clinics, trade shows, and tours around the world.

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