Michael Gulezian: Spiritual Protest Through Strings

Guitar virtuoso and independent label owner, Michael Gulezian, will be making what he considers a radical artistic protest when he comes to the Empire in Grand Forks on April 19. He will be giving a concert.
“All art is protest,” he said in a phone interview. “Any kind of original art that’s a reflection of the creative spirit and the individual who created the work-that very act in and of itself is political. In these days, when we’re just all being beaten down into these units of economic output and fear is used as a lever to manipulate human behavior, any kind of art, any kind of music, any kind of creative self-expression anymore is a very political act of protest.”

Gulezian differentiates what he does from popular music. “That’s meant to entertain,” he explained. “It ceases becoming art. It becomes entertainment. It becomes a commodity…Anything that breaks away from the norm in a time like this is an act of political radicalism. We are at every turn being seduced or cajoled or drugged or hypnotized or beaten into sameness. The more we resist, as far as I’m concerned, the better.”

That being said, what audiences will find at his concert next week will be thoughtful, accessible music that does have an entertainment value in that listeners will walk away feeling much better than when they entered the theater. What Gulezian does with a six-string or twelve-string guitar is magical and emotional. It is in no way cerebral as many supremely skilled acoustic guitarists often are, moving out into the intellectual realm or assaulting the ears with a wall of sound. Gulezian’s technique is tender and rich. That comes from his wide musical background and his own divergent tastes.
His father was an ethnomusicologist who played ancient Middle Eastern music on an oud and his mother sang Armenian folk songs. Amid this wealth of music, Gulezian started playing guitar at six, a physical difficulty at that age because of a child’s hands. However, he soaked up music everywhere from Ravi Shankar’s ragas to Gregorian chants to Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones. He discovered Delta blues artist like Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, and the legendary Robert Johnson. His friendship with Leo Kottke’s mentor, John Fahey, while Gulezian was in high school, profoundly influenced Gulezian’s own writing.

Gulezian released his first album, “Snow,” on his own label, Aardvark Records. It received such media attention that Fahey signed him to Takoma/Chrysalis Records.

After graduating from the University of Arizona with degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Gulezian established the independent label, Timbreline Music in the 1990s. To date, he has released five albums, with his latest, Concert at St. Olaf College (2004).

Fiercely independent, Gulezian doesn’t regret being with a major label. “You get to control your music,” he explained. “You are responsible for your own destiny. What does that say about your confidence and the control you have over own life, just taking your destiny into your own hands and being responsible for your own actions? There is so much to recommend being independent. You wind up with a spine….You wind up with a vision. You wind up fearlessly speaking your mind and able to back up your opinions with facts and experience. I don’t know why anyone would want to keep sucking on the boob of corporate media when you can create your own destiny.”

Gulezian tours constantly and loves doing concerts in this region. The last time he was here was fifteen years ago when he did a concert at UND with Minneapolis musician Papa John Kolstad. “I still remember how enthusiastic the audience was,” he recalled. “In the Upper Midwest, it’s the people themselves who make life beautiful and interesting. Some of the most brilliant, funny, wonderful people I know come from places where you look out and see as my old friend Michael Hedges, the guitarist, says in a joke about Oklahoma being so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days. There are places in North Dakota that are just like that! When people grow up in a place like that, they themselves become articles of attraction.”

Come enjoy a most unusual evening with Michael Gulezian on March 19 at the Empire. Not only will you enjoy great guitar renderings, but you might even hear Gulezian talk about the new Nine Inch Nails CD he’s been listening to. His reaction and knowledge of the band are very unexpected. But then again, you’d kind of anticipate that from an artistic political radical.

If You Go

WHAT: Michael Gulezian
WHERE: Empire Arts Center, Grand Forks
WHEN: Wed.,March 19, 8:00 pm
HOW MUCH: $15
WHO: All ages
INFO: (701) 746-5500, 777-4090