Thomas Echols, Guitarist and Composer

The brilliant Thomas Echols joins the show today to talk about musical barriers in his life, various philosophies, current trends in electronic music (hint it's quite a surprise), his diverse career, and more.

To find out more about Thomas Echols, follow his websites below.
http://www.thomasechols.com/
http://www.manwomanfriendcomputer.com/

Thomas Echols’s work is an amalgam of classical, modernist, and pop music forays.
As visiting artistic director for Austin Classical Guitar, Thomas curated programs including traditional instrumental recitalists, experimental electronics, newly commissioned works, and interactive visual projections. I have recorded and performed with the Grammy­Nominated choral ensemble Conspirare and the Houston Symphony Orchestra (our recording of Wozzeck recently won a Grammy and the prestigious Echo Klassik award for best operatic recording), and have had major engagements at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Palazzo Chigi (Siena, Italy), The Whittier Bach Festival (LA, The Blanton Museum of Art (Austin), Jones Hall (Houston), and other venues around the world.

His experimental-pop alter ego, Man, Woman, Friend, Computer, creates simple songs that unfold into meandering compositions, analogue synth fetishism, conspiracy pop, polyrhythmic laments, somnambulist visions, and process music. MWFC’s debut album has garnered rave reviews from Austin Monthly and The Austin Chronicle, which calls it “Meditative and fetching . . . he ventures into a complex amalgam of analog and synth. Wistful, romantic. . . Echols’ vocals sooth to surrender.” As a classical guitarist, music technologist, composer, and song writer, Thomas is a mainstay in the thriving classical guitar and experimental music scenes in Austin. Thomas is active as a performer and lecturer, and he has contributed scholarly articles to Soundboard Magazine. 

Thomas Echols holds degrees from the University of Southern California (Doctor of Musical Arts), the University of Texas (Master of Music), the University of Colorado (Bachelor of Music), and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy (Diploma di Merito).

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