CARL VERHEYEN
“One of the Top 10 Guitar Players in the World” Guitar Magazine
“One of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” Classic Rock Magazine
Carl Verheyen is a critically-acclaimed, Grammy®-nominated musician, vocalist, songwriter,
arranger, producer and educator with 12 CDs, two live DVDs and two books released worldwide. As
a member of the rock group Supertramp since 1985, Carl has played to millions of enthusiastic
fans in sold out arenas worldwide. As both a solo artist and as the creative force behind the Carl
Verheyen Band, he has released an impressive and eclectic discography that showcases his endless
talents across a wide array of musical genres. Carl is commonly regarded as a tone master and
guitar virtuoso capable of playing any style of music with remarkable mastery and conviction.
Verheyen has been one of LA’s elite “first call” session players for nearly 40 years, playing on
hundreds of records, movie soundtracks and television shows. Carl was heard by 67,000,000 people
as a featured soloist at the 2009 Academy Awards®, and was featured in the 2013 film
documentary about the history of the electric guitar, Turn It UP!
Verheyen has graced the pages of countless industry publications and been the subject of
numerous articles. A prolific writer, Carl's book Studio City is a compilation of all the columns he
wrote for Guitar Magazine between 1996 and 1999. Formerly he wrote a monthly column for
Chitarre, Italy’s #1 guitar publication. He currently writes a monthly column for Guitar Player
magazine, plus blogs regularly for his own site.
On the educational front, Verheyen has produced two instructional videos called Intervallic Rock
Guitar and Forward Motion for Alfred Publishing, as well as an acclaimed master class for TrueFire.
He also has a book/CD detailing his unique “intervallic” style called Improvising without Scales.
Carl regularly gives master classes at USC, Los Angeles Music Academy and Musicians Institute in
Hollywood, and is in demand for clinics worldwide.
Working closely with Dean Markley USA, Carl developed a line of signature strings for the electric
guitar that perfectly balance the tremolo bridge of the Fender Stratocaster® and Strat®-type
guitars: the Carl Verheyen “Balanced Bridge” Helix™ string set (.009 .012 .016 .026 .037 .046).
Carl also proudly helped design the LsL Instruments CV Special and CV Studio guitars. Based on
the same platform as the CV Special, the CV Studio is fitted with Carl's own unique version of
Seymour Duncan's patented Stack Plus hum-canceling pickup, custom-voiced for Carl and
impervious to 60-cycle hum.
“I believe electric guitar tone is a never-ending quest. If there is a way to make it sound better, I’m
after it. My best playing always goes hand in hand with that elusive goal of getting the tone right.
On my new CD we’d spend two hours in the studio nailing the sound, and 15 minutes cutting the
guitar solo!”
Verheyen's latest release, Mustang Run, is the “guitar album” Carl has wanted to do for many years
featuring five different rhythm sections and a number of amazing guest soloists. It is Verheyen's first
studio album since 2009's Trading 8s and he will tour extensively behind the release.
Starting with “Taylor's Blues,” an up-tempo blues shuffle, the listener is drawn in by the familiar yet
unique take Verheyen has on this age-old form. This is followed by a tone poem, “Julietta and the St.
George,” which begins as a classical acoustic guitar and piano duet that evolves into a funk groove.
Next is a straight-ahead jazz-fusion song called “Fusioneers Disease” featuring Simon Phillips on
drums.
Verheyen’s soaring melody on “Last Days of Autumn” calls to mind Jeff Beck’s more sensitive side,
while the deep groove on “Amandola” supports a melody that sticks in the mind long after it’s over.
Says Carl, “There are so many guitar shredder records out there, but if I buy them I tend to listen
once and file them away. I wanted to make a melodic statement on a record that would bear
repeated listening for years to come.”
Being with Supertramp for so many years, Carl has played “Bloody Well Right” 1,000 times or more.
On this, the only vocal tune on the album, he reworks it with a swampy treatment on slide guitar and
fellow Supertramp member John Helliwell on sax.
The music really ramps up as Carl’s ode to coffee drinking called “Riding the Bean” gets underway.
Featuring the amazing Stu Hamm on bass, the song’s outro connects to the title song’s intro via an
impromptu studio jam improvised right on the spot. The haunting melody of “Mustang Run”
features a wild solo outing from electric violinist Jerry Goodman.
Chad Wackerman and Jimmy Johnson, a rhythm section that works for such diverse artists as Allan
Holdsworth and James Taylor is featured on “Fourth Door on the Right.” This up-tempo jazzer also
features saxophonist Bill Evans. On this and every other tune, Carl’s unique brand of improvising is
presented with the gorgeous tones he’s known for. The CD closes with “Spirit of Julia,” a soul-
baring blues lament in the style of Ray Charles’ deepest church-inspired hymns, bringing us full
circle back to the bluesy language that began the record.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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MANAGEMENT:
Betsy Alexander ~ Straight Ahead Artist Management
01 (818) 426-3292 ~ redqueen9@[Link]
EURO/UK BOOKING:
Jeff Aug ~ MAXIMUM Booking
0049-(0)-8324-933-851 ~ info@[Link]
