Troy Gonyea Is Making a Scene
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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Troy Gonyea
Troy Gonyea has spent his fabled career working both sides of the musical street: touring the world supporting hall-of-fame-stature legends and using that unique experience to perfect his own sound. Now, with the release of his new live album, “Click Click Spark,” that two-lane journey has led the supremely talented guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader to the intersection with stardom.
Troy Gonyea strapped on his first guitar at age thirteen and never looked back. Before he was out of his teens, Gonyea was gigging with members of Muddy Waters’ band, playing at Buddy Guy’s Legends club in Chicago, and fronting his own trio.
By the time he hit his mid-thirties, Gonyea had toured the globe and recorded with legendary performers like Booker T Jones, Kim Wilson, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman, Jerry Portnoy, and Anthony Geraci, held down the prestigious guitar chair in the Fabulous Thunderbirds for four years, played on two Grammy-nominated recordings, and been nominated for a Blues Music Award and a Boston Music Award. Through it all he continued to front his own band, perform as a solo act, write his own music, and record two well-received CDs of his own.
“Click Click Spark” is the ultimate synthesis of what Troy Gonyea has learned from others and about himself. As writer Kim Field has noted, “His music is not blues, it’s not rock and roll, it’s not ‘roots music.’ It’s Troy Gonyea music.”
Front and center is Gonyea’s incredibly emotional and versatile guitar mastery, which has made him first call for tours and recording dates with so many stars. Gonyea’s famous peer, six-stringer Ronnie Earl, has noted that in the course of listening to Troy play a slow blues “I was able to hear the whole history of the blues.” No one on the scene today plays guitar with more feeling and authority than Gonyea, thanks to his long journey of learning from those who came before him—especially their insistence that one must find one’s own voice on the instrument.
Gonyea is an utterly convincing and remarkable vocalist as well. His soulful singing and his unique original tunes are testament to how much he has taken to heart another lesson from the bluesmen—that the best music tells a story.
Having worked with some of the best bandleaders on the planet, it is no surprise that Gonyea has assembled a first-class touring and recording band to support him. Keyboardist Brooks Milgate, bassist Marty Ballou, and drummer Marty Richards are all brilliant instrumentalists and seasoned pros who contribute mightily to Gonyea’s sonic vision.
Above all else, it is Troy Gonyea’s understanding of the criticality of spontaneity and risk-taking that makes him a world-class talent and performer. “The music I love and play is improvisational,” Gonyea has stated. “You get that magic element and a heightened awareness when you’re playing live. Every time I hit the stage, no matter whether it is a small club or a huge festival, I try to perform the same way with the same mentality. I shoot for being an exciting and inventive live act. That off-the-cuff style is what I enjoy.”
Troy Gonyea is a one-of-a-kind presence on today’s music scene who is ready to claim a wide audience and following because he has not only raw talent but a quality that all great artists have: the courage and vision to travel many roads to get to his own special place.
