– Press Release

San Diego, CA will host the world premiere of Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar — the first definitive theatrical/multimedia journey through the guitar’s colorful and surprisingly controversial 3,500-year history. The story of the world’s most popular instrument will be told through a combination of onstage narration, virtuosic live performances by an all-star cast of guitar heroes, and video projections of rare historical footage and still images. The program will debut in three evening shows and one matinee, September 7-10, 2006, at the lavishly renovated North Park Theatre, where it will be filmed for commercial release.

Primal Twang began several years ago as the brainchild of flatpicking pioneer and Taylor Guitars clinician Dan Crary and writer/producer/director Anthony Leigh Adams. They expanded the premise and co-wrote a script that begins with the guitar’s ancient ancestors and covers not only the wildly eclectic forms of music played throughout the centuries on variants of the steel-string, nylon-string, and electric guitar, but also the sociological impact the guitar has had in every era.

“Primal Twang reveals compelling stories and music from the guitar’s past, present, and future,” says Adams, who is directing the production. “Dan and the seven-piece band are onstage the whole time, performing everything from ancient modal music to classical, flamenco, and the Chet Atkins school, and from the guitar-based vocal pop of the early 20th Century through the jazz, folk, surf, and rock eras, right up to today. At key points in the show, our featured guest artists will join the band. So we’ll see and hear some of the best guitarists in the world as the ‘instrument of the gods’ emerges from antiquity, gathers steam over centuries, and explodes in our own time to become the ‘universal’ musical instrument.”

The all-important wireless technology that facilitates freedom of movement for the show’s performing lineup will be provided by Lectrosonics. Lectrosonics’ Karl Winkler, Director of Business Development, and Matt Robertson, West Coast Sales Manager, will be on hand to provide logistical and technical support for the company’s equipment.

The Lectrosonics equipment slated for these shows includes twelve channels of the company’s highly-acclaimed Venue wireless. The Lectrosonics VR Venue Modular Receiver System is a modular UHF design that operates with the company’s Digital Hybrid Wireless™ transmitters and a variety of analog transmitters. Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless technology is unique in that it integrates 24-bit digital audio with an analog FM radio link for outstanding audio quality and extended operating range. Each Venue Receiver Master (VRM) will be fully loaded with six VRS receiver modules.

Twelve Lectrosonics IM Series Digital Hybrid UHF belt pack transmitters and two SNA 600 dipole antennas will complete the system. The IM Series transmitters are optimized for musical instrument pickups, making them ideal for a show featuring guitarists. The SNA 600s feature a collapsible dipole antenna that is tunable from 550 – 800 MHz, making it ideal for situations where a full 360 degree receiving pattern is required.

“We’re absolutely delighted that Lectrosonics has been chosen to provide wireless technology for Primal Twang,” states Winkler. “This is a huge event for guitarists of all musical disciplines, and we look forward to helping make each performance a success.”

In addition to Crary and his stellar stage ensemble that includes bandleader and Taylor player Dennis Caplinger, drummer Duncan Moore, bassist Jeff Pekarek, plus several additional outstanding instrumentalists, Primal Twang’s trump card is its showcase of international guest performers. This special lineup includes Grammy-winning guitarists Eric Johnson, Albert Lee, Doc Watson, Mason Williams, Andrew York, plus Richard Watson. Further, harp-guitarists John Doan and Beppe Gambetta, Brazilian jazz master Peter Sprague, and Grand Old Opry star Doyle Dykes will make appearances.

For more information on what promises to be the most unique guitar event of the year, visit http://www.primaltwang.com

Website: http://www.lectrosonics.com