About Brian

He plays as if there were a band behind him, gyrating to the pulse he creates by whacking the body of his acoustic guitar while simultaneously picking out a melody with whichever fingers are left. The audience, transfixed at the sight of seeing an instrument treated so roughly, wonders how one person can make all of that sound at once.

"I will never forget this "kid," bobbing to a most unusual inner rhythm as he strummed, plucked and hit his guitar beyond belief, creating the most stirring guitar music I had ever heard up to that point in my life." -- George Fletcher, Poughkeepsie Journal.

For the Poughkeepsie, NY native, innovation is paramount. He stretches the breadth of what an acoustic guitar can sound like. Throughout a performance, Gallaway utilizes various guitar tunings and a combination of fingerstyle and percussive techniques in a quest to uncover what he calls the guitar's "seldom realized resources." Upon listening to the guitarist's debut CD entitled "noumena," the listener gets a feel for Gallaway's unique artistic voice. On several of the CD's tracks, the guitar sounds as rich and deep as a piano. On others, it's as thunderous as an orchestral climax.

Gallaway's live shows are as unpredictable as his music. Some nights you'll catch him in bare feet and a T-shirt playing a no nonsense set of original compositions. Others, you may catch him in a looser, more garrulous mood, emerging from a smoke-filled stage wearing eye-goggles and draped in a large purple feather boa. The one constant throughout is his outrageous and passionate performance.

Brian's desire to create something wholly original stems from a myriad of influences. While most of his peers were seeking out Led Zeppelin and AC/DC in their formative years, Gallaway was listening to the likes of Mendelssohn, Debussy, Mississippi John Hurt, and Michael Hedges. Since beginning an "official" career in music only four years ago, Gallaway has shared the stage with two of his biggest influences: Pierre Bensusan and Jorma Kaukonen, as well as performances with John Hammond, Preston Reed, and Laurence Juber. Though heavily into acoustic guitar music, Gallaway is an admittedly huge fan of none other than the Bee Gees and even wears a belt buckle with their logo to prove it.

The bottom line is that Brian Gallaway is different. Gallaway will have a long career with devoted fans who anticipate each release and performance of this space-age acoustic percussive fingerstyle folk guitarist.

"Gallaway draws his primary influences from folk and new age innovators such as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, and Jorma Kaukonen... he feels that these artists were men who have pushed the limits and boundaries of the guitar beyond the set standards... and plans to follow in their footsteps." -- Ron Hart, Rhythm & News Magazine.

"Gallaway thinks of the songs on noumena almost as philosophical or autobiographical essays. In composition, he frequently sketches the songs visually, seeing dynamics as a mountainous landscape." -- Todd Paul, Woodstock Times