Brian Gallaway and Helen Avakian. Two of the Hudson Valley's most awesome guitar talents. Brian is most known for his percussive style of playing. He was much inspired by the late great Michael Hedges. Well, actually a lot of us were inspired by Michael Hedges, but most of us just can't do anything like that. Brian has his own sound on the one hand, but I'm glad to see someone can take a Hedges style of play and go forward with it. I've told people that I can slap my guitar around the way Brian Gallaway does, but my guitar just makes noise when I do that. Brian's guitar, as much as he beats it, somehow makes incredible wonderful music! I wish both of these performers had slightly bigger egos. This show was one of the finest guitar extravaganzas I've seen in the Hudson Valley, but to Brian and Helen, it was just "Hey, let's do a little show together sometime." I'm thrilled I was there to see it, and I hope they will consider doing it again.
These pictures were taken by Ian Wickstead at Cathryn's Tuscon Grill in Cold Spring, NY. (Ian is also the boyfriend of Little Linda Hanlon who is in the "Hel 'N...Helagain???? " picture. Some of Ian's scenic photography is on display in Poughkeepsie, NY at the Cubbyhole Coffeehouse in July 2002.)
Brain has an assortment of masks and props to keep his show lively - though his guitar playing is so exciting, he doesn't really need anything. To compare both of these virtuoso's to amusment rides, Brian is the roller coaster. I don't mean ups and downs, I mean BIG excitement as soon as he starts! Helen is the tunnel of love. You can listen to her play for hours (and I have) and her music just keeps growing on you.