Bio

Two Pacific Northwest acoustic guitarists unite to create a new improvisational landscape.

Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye are both widely regarded in the world of fingerstyle guitar as masters of their craft, have teamed up to make an album of original flatpicking tunes set to be released on October 15. One listen will change how you think about guitar.

“Home on the Midrange” showcases not only their guitar prowess, but also the depths of their work as composers. They start each tune with a traditional approach, that allows the listener to ground into the melody and essence of the song. They then take the tune into a territory they affectionately call an “all skate,” deconstructing it into a landscape of improvisation that can only be achieved by two masters of guitar. These works of guitar art are made possible only by the kind of deep listening and presence of mind that creates moments of magic.

At its core, this album is a conversation between two guitars. Eric was bestowed the honor of having a Santa Cruz Guitar Company model named after him, built to his specifications, and it is this OO Skye signature model that he plays for his side of the discussion. The answer to his melodic questioning is a OOO also made by Santa Cruz that Jamie Stillway had commissioned specifically for this project. To hear these two guitars in conversation is a nothing short of a master class in the nuance of guitar tone. Eric’s present, laser-like guitar meets the languid, spacious beauty of Jamie’s. What this creates is a musical experience that highlights the distinct voices of these two extraordinary guitars. Both Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye utilize their mastery in service to the song, the melody, and the fleeting moment. What we are left with is an album that shines a light on the beauty of the voice of guitar.

Eric Skye

Pacific Northwest acoustic guitarist, Eric Skye, occupies a unique niche between folk, jazz and blues. A lifetime of electric interests and adventuresome exploration culminating in a simple, fully realized and identifiable sound and style. Whether it’s the June Apple album of traditional flatpicking old-time tunes with mandolinist, Tim Connell, or the recent duo work with guitarist, Jamie Stillway, performing original reels, waltzes and jigs. Or Skye’s acclaimed album, A Different Kind of Blue -a solo guitar reimagining of the entire seminal Miles Davis album, Kind Of Blue. Or the improvisational duo album, Artifact, with longtime Jackson Browne guitarist, Mark Goldenberg, or the solo album of standards and original jazz/blues tunes, Ballads and Blues.. It’s a wide-ranging body of work, all threaded together with an uncluttered minimalist’s aesthetic, a passion for in-the-moment music making, and a love of pure acoustic tone.

“A fabulous ‘seminar’ on quietly building drama” –Guitar Player 

“A perfect synthesis of eclectic influences”  –Acoustic Guitar

“An uncanny ability to make the familiar sound new, and the new sound familiar” –Fretboard Journal

Jamie Stillway

Jamie Stillway has been quietly establishing herself as one of the top acoustic fingerstyle guitarists of her generation. Since 2005, she has self-released 3 full length albums of original compositions, garnering accolades from the likes of Fretboard Journal (“one of the best fingerstyle guitarists around today”) and Jazz Times (“Mixing up genres without pretension, the nimble Stillway moves freely with wit and creative restlessness”). With her first electric guitar recordings, the City Static EP, Jamie demonstrates the broadening of her compositional palette and her versatility as a musician, seamlessly incorporating ambient, jazz, classical, and pop elements. As she created space for silence in her life, the constant background noise of the city became more and more noticeable—a droning static hum that inspired Stillway’s most experimental and compelling work to date.