REVIEWS

"Exceptional... A wealth of talent... His fingerstyle is a highlight and very musicaL"

"He follows in the venerable footsteps of acoustic guitar greats."

"Driving Rain is an album of unremitting tunefulness and bountftul invention Nystrup demonstrates an ear for the unshakable melody, and an amazing musical dexterity. His strong suit is originality, and though we can guess that he's listened to everyone from Kottke to Segovia, there's no sense that he's trying to be anyone but Stephen Nystrup. "

"A performer with intuitive rhythmic strength... An acoustic musician successful at his craft."

"Steve is establishing himself as one of New England's foremost acoustic instrumentalists. He is a deft finger style player with and inmate rhythmic drive that powers his new-folk music. "

It's a complex, classically tinged music that graces his new compact disc, Driving Rain. From the lilting The Montrealer. with it's eerie, horn like slide guitar and harmonic tones, to the soaring Michael Hedges-style vocal cut, Climbing, and the moody, minor key instrumenlal, Silent Rain, with Craig Eastman's crying violin passages and Jelf Wieselberg on pkmo, Driving Rain has a depth that makes it as fascinating as it is soothing.

New Britain Herald Feb 1998

Steve Nystrup has done most of his talking without speaking. To be more precise, he's done most of his entertaining without singing. According to Steve, it wasn't shyness, lack of voice, or inability to write a song, it just seemed natural to communicate the way he knew best—by playing the guitar. And Nystrup communicates brilliantly with the guitar. His first two albums, the cassette-only" C flat" and his stunning follow-up, "Driving Rain," demonstrated that Nystrup was a considerable talent who knew his way around a set of taut strings. The latest album, "Another Sleepless Night" (see review below), is a bold step forward for Nystrup. For a man who has released two albums with only one vocal track, it's a surprise (and a pleasant surprise at that) to listen to an album which is Iyrically taut, musically inviting and supremely confident. For someone who hasn't written lyrics for most of his career, Nystrup writes with an artful efficiency, letting a few well-chosen words speak volumes. He charts the inner musings of characters who see their lives torn apart by fickle love, fleeting time and restless dreams. Nystrup could tell you a thing or two about his guitar odyssey. There's the years playing in rock bands, here in Comlecticut and up on Martha's Vineyard. There are the countless hours of classical study. Week upon week as a guitar instuctor. Hippie digs from which he rescued precious guitars from blazing infernos (twice).

REVIEW: Stephen Nystrup— ~Another Sleepless Night.~ Steve Nystrup is old enough not to waste Iyrical energy on the kind of inner-focused teenage angst which seems to consume even the most competent beginning singer-songwriters. Perhaps his debut as a songwriter (musie and Iyrics) later in a successful career (Iyrics only), accounts for the mature, wise, thoughtful poetic voice, and the self-assured sense of melody. When he considers love, it's from an adult perspective—less impulsive, more committed, full of warmth. When trapped by passion, he's surprised at his own weakness, and amused by his own failings. When he considers a race with time, or a reach at a distant dream, it's from the viewpoint of someone who's seen a bit of the world, and measures his pace carefully. These are strong songs which borrow the Iyrical economy and irresistable tunefulness of pop music. They're soulful songs which meld the rootsiness of folk, the intelligence of jazz, the energy of pop and the spirituality of gospel. Nystrup has surrounded himself with some extremely talented musicians, including longtime musical partner Mark Saunders, bassist John Curry, drummer Lorne Entress and singers like Lucy Kaplansky and Margo Hennebach. And he's produced the album with great care and an understanding that polishing away all the rough edges drains the humanity from the music. This is an honest, thoughtful, soulful album brimming with the kind of melody which will continue to haunt you in quiet moments." Ed McKeon hosts a folk and roots music show each Wednesday morning from 6 a m. on WWUH 91.3 FM.

STEPHEN NYSTRUP

Driving Rain
(Rare Duck Records) *** 1/2
Produced by Doug Kupper and Stephen Nystrup. Engineered by Bill Ahearn. Recorded and mixed at Tapeworks, Inc., Hartford, CT Mastered by Ed Smith and Bill Ahearn.

"The beauty of the guitar?~ Stephen Nystrup explains. "It's so personal and so expressive. It has a tremendous emotional range. It runs the gamut - from poignancy to sheer delight! [Laughs] It's a complete orchestra in six strings. Guitar plays the melody and the accompaniment and the percussion all at once."
Nystrup's love and enthusiasm for the instrument becomes immediately evident upon listening to his latest release, Driving Rain on Rare Duck Records. A real pleasure. Defying dehumanizing categorization, simply put, this is honest, good music.
"There's melody to my music," the Glastonbury, Connecticut six-stringer proudly professes. ~It's been called 'ethereal folk'. . . 'new folk'. . . it's instrumental acoustic guitar music."
While the phrase "folk music' may send shivers down the spine of some (myself included), conjuring up 1960Õ images of the Kingston Trio strumming in a central Kansas cowtown (been there). . . Driving Rain should not be slotted into the folk bins at your local record store. It goes a lot deep er than that.
When I first popped this fine collection of melodies into my CD player, the opening/title cut transported me to a huge open valley in the spring. I imagined a classy, cozy cottage with the speakers crankin' out on the porch, over the hills, an into the sky. There's just something about the sound of an acoustic guitar in the hands of a professional player. It is beauty. Man, I love it.
"It's great for driving in your car!' sparks Nystrup. ~Some people use it when they come home from work, to de-stress themselves.' And you don't need a prescription for it!, I respond. "And it works! There's more to it than the New Age stuff. which is basically one-dimensional. . . this has more depth. I hope people listen to it with focus."
Driving Rain has been receiving positive feedback wherever it's heard. College radio across New England is digging it. The magical mix of steel strings and percussion things draw a diversified audience.
As Nystrup's second CD, Driving Rain continues his forward momentum. "The first CD [C-flat] was more stripped down, production-wise. It has a lot of solo guitar pieces. The new one has only two solo guitar pieces. It has two guitar duos and larger production on the other ones, including one vocal. So, the first one was basically testing the waters, to see if there was a market out there. The long-range objective was to establish myself as a guitarist and writer, and then ease into the song writin arena. There's a tease, with one vocal ["Climbing"] on the Driving Rain CD. The next CD will be much more vocal," Nystrup promises.
While Nystrup employs the prowess of several accomplished musicians on Driving Rain he many times performs 'live" with a trio. "I play with Mark Saunders [guitar/percussion] and Ed Smith [congas/'some guitar']. We've done First Night here in Hartford the last two years. We're expanding out into bigger areas, getting lots of airplay in Boston." Both Saunders and Smith are featured on Driving Rain.
Recorded and mixed at Tapeworks, Inc. (Hartford, CT), Driving ~Rain offers Nystrup originals, exclusively. From traveling Europe with a guitar strapped to his back. . . to painfully precise years of studying in NYC with classical guitarist Herbert Levine, Stephen Nystrup has put some mileage under his belt. Playing guitar since age twelve, he has honed his skills to a razor's edge.
"I believed in this music - always! I still do. I believe that if you're honest with the music and-you put out something that really comes from the heart. . . that people will respond to it."
Driving Rain is a true statement to Nystrup's virtuosity. Stephen produces a beautiful, identifiable, signature sound. And that, after all, is what being a musician is all about. - Scott Thompson

Contact: Rare Duck Records, Box 841, Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 633-2431

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