Tony MacAlpine

Infobox musical artist
Name = Tony MacAlpine


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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Born = birth date and age|1960|8|29|, Springfield, Massachusetts
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Instrument = Guitar, piano, keyboard, vocals, violin
Genre = Neo-classical metal, jazz fusion, heavy metal, progressive metal, instrumental rock, hard rock, classical, blues
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Years_active = 1984 – present
Label = Shrapnel
Associated_acts = Devil's Slingshot, M.A.R.S., Steve Vai touring band, Planet X, CAB
URL = [http://www.tonymacalpine.com Official website]
Notable_instruments = Carvin DC series guitars

Tony Jeff MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960, in Springfield, Massachusetts) is an American guitarist and keyboardist. Having released ten studio albums over a career spanning more than two decades, he is best known as a solo guitarist; although he has worked with many different bands and musicians, such as Planet X, Steve Vai, Vinnie Moore, Mark Boals and Vitalij Kuprij.

Biography

Prior to picking up the guitar, MacAlpine was a classically trained pianist and violinist; as such, he is credited with playing all the keyboards on his own albums as well as for other artists. One of his principal musical influences is that of Chopin, and tribute is given by his own interpretations of Chopin's études featuring on the majority of his solo albums. There is at least one display of these piano/keyboard instrumentals on each of his solo albums up to and including "Chromaticity" (2001).

MacAlpine influenced and contributed much to the neo-classical movement of the late-1980s, becoming known for his instrumental rock-based style of playing that blended elements of shred, blues and fusion. Together with his first two solo albums, "Edge of Insanity" (1986) and "Maximum Security" (1987), MacAlpine played a prominent role on other albums of the 1980s shred era, including keyboard work throughout Vinnie Moore's "Mind's Eye" (1986) and Joey Tafolla's "Out of the Sun" (1987).

As a further indication of MacAlpine's dual dexterity on both the guitar and keyboards, he has made contributions as a guitarist accompanying renowned keyboardists Vitalij Kuprij and Derek Sherinian (latterly with the band Planet X) and, additionally, once provided vocals for his sole non-instrumental release, "Master Of Paradise" (1999). In recent years, he has played guitar and keyboards in Steve Vai's touring band, The Breed (until 2006), and is featured on the band's "Live at the Astoria London" DVD, as well as on the G3 DVDs, ' (2003) and ' (2005).

Discography

Solo career

*"Demo 84" (1984)
*"Edge of Insanity" (1986)
*"Maximum Security" (1987)
*"Eyes of the World" (1990)
*"Freedom to Fly" (1992)
*"Madness" (1993)
*"Premonition" (1994)
*"Evolution" (1995)
*"Violent Machine" (1996)
*"Live Insanity" (1997) – live album
*"Master of Paradise" (1999)
*"Chromaticity" (2001)
*"" (2006) – compilation album

With M.A.R.S. (MacAlpine/Aldridge/Rock/SarzoWith M.A.R.S. (MacAlpine/0

*"" (1986)

=With Planet X=

*"Universe" (2000)
*"Live from Oz" (2002)
*"MoonBabies" (2002)

=With CAB=

*"CAB" (2000)
*"CAB 2" (2001)
*"CAB 4" (2003)

With Devil's Slingshot

*"Clinophobia" (2007)

With Ring Of Fire

*"Burning Live Tokyo" (2002)
*"Dreamtower" (2002)
*"Lapse of Reality" (2004)

With Vinnie Moore

*"Mind's Eye" (1986)
*"The Maze" (1999)
*"Vinnie Moore Collection: The Shrapnel Years" (2006)

With Joey Tafolla

*"Out of the Sun" (1987)

With Vitalij Kuprij

*"VK3" (1999)

With Mark Boals

*"Ring of Fire" (2000)
*"Edge of the World" (2002)

Trivia

*He is the grandson of Mary Matilda Winslow, who was the first Black Canadian woman to graduate from the University of New Brunswick.

External links

* [http://www.tonymacalpine.com Tony MacAlpine's official homepage]
* [http://www.myspace.com/tonymacalpine Tony MacAlpine's MySpace]