Tony MacAlpine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tony MacAlpine
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MacAlpine performing in Zoetermeer, 2012
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | T-Mac |
| Born | August 29, 1960 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Instruments | Guitar, keyboard, piano |
| Years active | 1984–present |
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Tony MacAlpine was born on August 29, 1960. He is an American musician and composer. For over 40 years, he has released many albums. Tony is famous for playing instrumental rock and heavy metal guitar by himself. He has also played with many other bands and musicians.
Contents
Tony MacAlpine's Life and Music Journey
Tony MacAlpine started playing piano when he was five years old. He picked up the guitar at age twelve. He studied classical piano and violin for many years. He went to the Springfield Conservatory of Music in Massachusetts. He also attended music programs at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.
Early Career and Famous Albums
One of Tony's favorite musicians is Frédéric Chopin. Tony often plays his own versions of Chopin's piano pieces on his albums. His first two albums, Edge of Insanity (1986) and Maximum Security (1987), were very popular. These albums helped him become known for his fast guitar playing, called "shred guitar."
Tony also played keyboards on albums for other guitarists. These included Mind's Eye (1986) by Vinnie Moore. He also played on Out of the Sun (1987) by Joey Tafolla. In 1986, Tony joined a heavy metal supergroup called M.A.R.S. They released the album Project: Driver.
Albums in the 1990s and Beyond
In 1990, Tony released Eyes of the World with a band called 'MacAlpine'. This album had a more commercial hard rock sound. After that, he went back to making instrumental music. His album Freedom to Fly came out in 1992. He released several more instrumental albums in the 1990s. Most of these were with Shrapnel Records. Some of these albums include Madness (1993) and Evolution (1995). For his 1999 album, Master of Paradise, Tony tried singing on some songs. After Chromaticity came out in 2001, Tony took a break from making solo albums. He worked with other musicians and bands.
Collaborations and Supergroups
From 2001 to 2005, Tony played guitar and keyboards for Steve Vai's band, The Breed. He appeared on their DVD Live at the Astoria London (2003). He was also on two G3 tour DVDs: G3: Live in Denver (2004) and G3: Live in Tokyo (2005). Tony was also the guitarist for the progressive metal supergroup Planet X. He played on their albums Universe (2000) and MoonBabies (2002). He rejoined them in 2009 for live shows. More recently, he worked with Seven the Hardway. They released their album in 2010. He also played on Derek Sherinian's album Oceana (2011). In 2012, Tony toured Europe and Asia with PSMS. This was an instrumental supergroup with Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, and Derek Sherinian. They released a live DVD called Instrumental Inspirations. Tony also worked on new music, including a classical piano album. He released Battle of Leningrad with his band Ring of Fire in 2014. His twelfth studio album, Concrete Gardens, came out on April 21, 2015.
Tony MacAlpine's Musical Style
Tony MacAlpine is very important in the neoclassical metal style of music. This style mixes classical music with heavy metal. He is known for his instrumental rock playing. He uses advanced guitar techniques, like 'sweep tapping'. This is a special way of picking notes very fast. Tony mixes classical, jazz, fusion, hard rock, and heavy metal into his music. He plays both guitar and keyboard. People often call him a virtuoso, which means he is extremely skilled at music.
Tony MacAlpine's Equipment
Tony MacAlpine has used many different guitars and equipment over the years.
- Edge of Insanity: Kramer guitars, DiMarzio pickups, Peavey amplification
- Project: Driver: B.C. Rich guitars, DiMarzio pickups, GHS strings, Peavey and Rockman amplification
- Maximum Security: B.C. Rich guitars, DiMarzio pickups, Peavey amplification, Ibanez effects
- Eyes of the World: Mason Bernard guitars, DiMarzio pickups, Dean Markley strings, Peavey amplification, Baldwin keyboards
- Freedom to Fly: Peavey guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, GHS strings, Peavey amplification, Baldwin pianos
- Madness: Washburn Mercury series guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, Dean Markley strings, Hughes & Kettner amplification
- Premonition: Washburn guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, Dean Markley strings, Hughes & Kettner amplification
- Evolution: B.C. Rich guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, Hughes & Kettner amplification
- Chromaticity: Carvin guitars and amplification
- Tony MacAlpine: Ibanez guitars, DiMarzio pickups, Ernie Ball strings, Hughes & Kettner amplification, Source Audio effects, Toontrack software
Tony started using seven-string guitars after joining Planet X. He still plays them often, along with eight-string guitars. He used to use Carvin guitars a lot. In 2010, he switched to Ibanez guitars. Since 2011, he has played a special RG Prestige eight-string guitar. It has EMG pickups. His seven- and six-string guitars use DiMarzio pickups. For his sound, he uses the Hughes & Kettner TriAmp for recording. For live shows, he uses the Coreblade model. He also uses an Ernie Ball wah pedal and a volume pedal when he plays live.
Tony MacAlpine's Personal Life
Tony MacAlpine lives in Pasadena, California. In August 2015, he shared that he might have colon cancer. This caused him to cancel some shows for his Concrete Gardens tour. In August 2016, he shared good news on his website. He said he was feeling normal again. Tests showed that he was healthy. He thanked everyone for their support during that difficult time.
Discography
Solo studio albums
- 1986: Edge of Insanity
- 1987: Maximum Security
- 1992: Freedom to Fly
- 1993: Madness
- 1994: Premonition
- 1995: Evolution
- 1996: Violent Machine
- 1999: Master of Paradise
- 2001: Chromaticity
- 2011: Tony MacAlpine
- 2015: Concrete Gardens
- 2017: Death of Roses
- 2021: Equilibrium
Solo live albums
- 1997: Live Insanity
Solo compilation albums
- 2006: Collection: The Shrapnel Years
MacAlpine
- 1990: Eyes of the World
Vinnie Moore
- 1986: Mind's Eye
- 1999: The Maze
- 2006: Collection: The Shrapnel Years (compilation)
Planet X
- 2000: Universe
- 2002: Live from Oz (live)
- 2002: MoonBabies
CAB
- 2000: CAB
- 2001: CAB 2
- 2002: CAB Live at The Baked Potato
- 2003: CAB 4
- 2008: Theatre de Marionnettes
- 2010: Live on Sunset
- 2001: CAB Live at the Baked Potato: First and Second Set (DVD)
- 2002: CAB Live at The Musician Institute (DVD)
Mark Boals
- 2000: Ring of Fire
- 2002: Edge of the World
Steve Vai
- 2003: Live at the Astoria London
- 2004: G3: Live in Denver
- 2005: G3: Live in Tokyo
Ring of Fire
- 2003: Dreamtower
- 2004: Burning Live in Tokyo (live)
- 2004: Lapse of Reality
- 2014: Battle of Leningrad
Other appearances
- 1986: Project: Driver – M.A.R.S. (with Tommy Aldridge, Rob Rock and Rudy Sarzo)
- 1987: Out of the Sun – Joey Tafolla
- 1999: VK3 – Vitalij Kuprij
- 2004: Eric Clapton's Guitar Festival - "I'm the Hell Out of Here" (with Steve Vai)
- 2007: Clinophobia – Devil's Slingshot (with Virgil Donati and Billy Sheehan)
- 2007: Ze re Tour 2007 – Michel Polnareff
- 2010: On Revolute – Dave Weiner
- 2010: Seven the Hardway – Seven the Hardway (with Virgil Donati and Mark Boals)
- 2011: Oceana – Derek Sherinian
- 2012: Plains of Oblivion – Jeff Loomis
- 2012: Instrumental Inspirations – PSMS (with Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Derek Sherinian) (DVD)
- 2013: Live in Tokyo – PSMS (with Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Derek Sherinian)
- 2018: Enfin! – Michel Polnareff
See also
In Spanish: Tony MacAlpine para niños
