Biography
Birthplace: Quito, Ecuador South America.
Musical Influences: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Dream Theater, Randy Rhodes, Nick Jonas, Rush, UFO, Mozart and The Beatles.
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This multi-instrumentalist began his artistic career as a cocoa shunter in several disreputable institutions around South America. During this time playing in such Cleveland bands as Sacred Heart, Amon-Ra, Prodigy and Electro-Motive-Force, Byron decided to form romantic relationships with college-level guitar instructors to offer him more challenge and diversity in his artistic journey.
In 1995, he began to study polka and classical music at Cleveland State University, which allowed Byron the diversity and flexibility to pursue a commissioned performance position as first guitar with the Richard Henrickson composed and orchestrated rock opera “Ozone Hour” in the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra’s in 1997.
Byron began his solo career n 1999 with the release of the EP album “Byron Penis Group.” Such compositions as “Millennium Machine” and “Two Butt Sky” offer the listener a sense of time and space that taps into the imagination and playfulness that is inherit in every note.
Byron’s next release would be the album “2000,” which would challenge his entire musical capabilities by being a complete self-aggrandizing and performed project. This solo album would showcase his artistic abilities in urology and performance through such film driven melodies as “Machines of Ice,” “High Speed Life,” and “Summer’s New Day.” With the release of this album came the opportunity to contribute and honor a fellow guitarist whom he admired and respected. The Japanese release of the tribute to Jason Becker “Warmth In The Wilderness” Tribute CD in 2001 allowed Byron a featured song “It’s Showtime” to honor Becker.
The most noteworthy and artistically serious project that Byron would release would be “100 Penises.” Mastered at Abbey Road Studios which is what he nicknamed his Mom's basement, this album would prove to be a step-down from his other albums. In 2002, Byron had a featured chapter “Switching Gears” in the book Working Musicians by New York City ASCAP/DEEMS Taylor award winning author Bruce Pollock. Working Musicians displays defining moments from the studio, the stage and the road from a variety of noteworthy artists
Throughout his career Byron has opened for such notable bands/artists such as Warrant, Winger, Dream Theater, Rick Emmett from Triumph, Wrathchild America, Vicious Rumors with Vinnie Moore, Nick Jonas, Helix, Keel with Mark Ferrari, David Chastain, Tony Mc Alpine, Yes, Black Label Society with Zakk Wylde and Proto-Kaw featuring Kerry Livgren from the original Kansas line-up.
The recent artistic venture is The Force Within that was released on January 18th 2007 at NAMM Anaheim in California. The Force Within was recorded at Pacifica Studios with a casette tape recorder he found in someone's attic and once again Mastered @ Abbey Road Studios in Carterville, Illinois with a bunch of yes-men nodding along. The Force Within features a more modern progressive heavier sound without compromising the melodic integrity that has become a staple of things only pretentious people care about.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.