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OCALA.COM: Young, hip and classical
Georgia Guitar Quartet to mix it up at Marion Theatre

by Dave Schlenker

The band bound for the newly amped Marion Theatre on Saturday is a staple from music-rich Athens, Ga. (home of REM, among others). The four young guys, guitars in hand, crank out some originals, but they have been known to dip into Led Zeppelin and Radiohead.

They have a MySpace page, complete with song samples, tour dates and artsy photos.
Cool stuff. Great music. You should see the setlist.

As per their MySpace page, the Georgia Guitar Quartet is "Classical/Alternative/Experimental." These chaps often play Chopin and Guaraldi (as in Vince, the much-loved jazz pianist behind the "Peanuts" specials).

"That's probably our top crowd pleaser," GGQ member Jason Solomon said of their rendition of Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy."

"We've been doing that one for quite a while. We usually program that one right before intermission. It's a nice note to end on before the break. That's a fun one for us; we get to bang on our guitars; there's a litte drum solo in that one."

Solomon and his fellow GGQ buddies - Phil Snyder, Brian Smith and Kyle Dawkins - are young, dapper-looking chaps whose GQ style could fit on PBS just as easy as MTV.

They are no strangers to the Internet generation. In fact, Marion Theatre booked the quartet after researching them on the Internet and, more precisely, hearing their audio clips on the group's MySpace page (a wildly popular Internet community with a heavy emphasis on bands).

"We see it as sort of an annex to our regular Web page," Solomon said. "You usually think of pop bands and rock bands as having MySpace pages. I guess it's rare for our type of ensemble to have one. But it's a really good networking tool, and it helps us to stay in touch with other musicians. The great thing about it is people are able to ... hear what we sound like immediately."

The MySpace presence also has generated interest from younger music fans.

"We primarily consider ourselves a classical ensemble; we try to play a wide variety of styes and everything, but I think through the MySpace page, we get a lot who are interested in the guitar," he said. "That draws them in, and maybe we can function as a gateway drug into classical music just because of the appeal of the guitar; it crosses so many genres and musical styles."

And consider this: Solomon himself wanted to be a rock star when he first held a guitar. He loved rock music - loud '80s hair bands such as Twisted Sister and Motley Crue.

Thus, wedged in between the Chopin and Ravel, there's often room for a little Zeppelin.

"In every setlist, we try to include something from all of the major historical periods of - quote, unquote - classical music. Things from the Renaissance and Baroque up through the contemporary period. Some jazz and pop tunes."

There also is a focus on their own compositions, particularly now as the band just completed "Puzzle," its first CD of all original music.

GGQ members met as students at the University of Georgia. All remain Georgia residents, but only Dawkins and Smith still live in Athens.

Solomon is teaching music theory and composition at Georgia Southern in Statesboro, and Snyder lives in Peachtree City, a crisp, golf cart-laden community near Atlanta.

"I keep telling Phil I can't wait for him to get a golf cart. I'll visit him more often if he'll let me drive it around," Solomon said.

Athens, by the way, has named GGQ Best Classical Artist five years in a row at the Athens Flagpole Music Awards.

It's quite the honor for a kid whose original role models were goopey-eyed shock rockers Dee Snyder and Mick Mars.

"My plan was to use (classical) as a stepping stone to become a great rock guitarist," Solomon said. "But I ended up falling in love with not just classical guitar but classical music in general. So I just decided to stick with that."

He paused for a moment before a humble laugh.

"I still want to be a rock star. I'll be honest."