New Explorations
Our 2018 Guitarist Of The Year winner releases debut solo EP
Gabriel Cyr has certainly been busy since he won our Guitarist Of The Year accolade in 2018. “Not long after the competition, I released an album called Desolation with my band Universe Effects,” says Gabriel from his home in Montreal. “I also worked hard on my YouTube channel, which has grown a lot in the past few years. In 2019 I played guitar on the first album of my friend, the incredible bass player, Carl Mayotte. The record is called Fantosme and it is groovy fusion-jazz.”
That same year, Gabriel was readying solo material when crisis struck. “I have had to deal with a physical problem that gave me chronic pain in both arms,” he reveals. “It is something I’ve had for a few years, but it reached a very bad state in June 2019. I wasn’t able to play for more than 15 minutes without having pain. Happily, I’ve seen a few specialists and I’ve been able to treat my condition with a strict stretching and exercise program. I’m much better now and I finally released my first EP in May 2020.”
And it’s definitely been worth the wait. Spectrum Exploration I
offers a sublime and versatile mix of Gabriel’s melodic influences with his jazz-fusion schooling that we saw in his GOTY entry in full abundance. “My goal was to make an instrumental-rock record and use simple forms inspired by popular songs – intro/verse/chorus, and so on,” Gabriel explains.
While Gabriel stays busy during lockdown with his YouTube channel, remote session work and teaching via Skype lessons, he’s also got his eye on the next release. “I am currently composing my second EP, Spectrum Exploration II, and I would like to release it by the end of 2020. It will incorporate a heavier sound and metal influences, but I want to keep the same melodic songwriting approach.” We can’t wait to hear the results.
Spectrum Exploration I is out now, available to buy via Bandcamp and streaming on major platforms. To find out more visit www.gabrielcyrguitarist.com