The Guitar Player's Resource
Travis Steele Nevels, acoustic guitarist out of Charlotte, North Carolina, plays the guitar on his CD release Freestyleguitar using a combination of banjo rolls, alternate tunings, acoustic slaps, power riffs, and his own patented "fingerstyle-flatpicking". He has dubbed the style "American Freestyle Fingerstyle" and it is certainly some ear catching, dynamic acoustic work. The two opening tracks ("Hammerhead", "The Heat And The Glare") literally grab the listener by the cochlea with aggressive flourishes and rapid rhythmic parts -- foundation shaking acoustic guitar! There isn't a track here that doesn't feature some interesting aspect of Nevels unorthodox style. It's easy to hear why Nevels was the 1998 North Carolina /South Carolina Fingerpicking Guitar Champion -- this guy is talented and has recorded some really fine music here.
Travis has taken a unique approach to the guitar. Always a 'closet musician' he never bothered joining a band or learning note-for-note versions of anyone's songs. Travis picked up his technique of thumb and two fingers from banjo great Earl Scruggs' style, and after many years, his style and approach have set him apart from other modern fingerstyle artists of today. It's a style that forces an audience to watch, as well as listen -- designed to capture the attention of the audience, and then hold it. Travis is a self-described 'street player', catering to a rougher audience than one simply dazzled by finesse.
OK, so maybe he still can't play a song his Dad can recognize. Who cares? This stuff is a lot better.
Travis Steele Nevels
United States
Web site: www.freestyleguitar.com