Bruce Kaphan from California has taken pedal string guitar to a whole new level in New Age music for years, making this instrumental transition not only a surprising one but a dazzling one too, giving even music purists a reason to love pedal steel guitar with his earlier release Slider and now Hybrid.

Bruce Kaphan is easily recognized in the music industry since he began an early career as a studio technician, engineer and producer for many highly recognized artists in other genres and had either played a role with the recording production of their album or performed with artists such as REM, Jewel, The Black Crowes, Thomas Dolby, John Lee Hooker and a vast selection of popular musicians.

The list of popular artists Bruce has encountered as a musician and during his tenure as a recording artist is quite lengthy and will surprise you as it did me when you visit his website. During the early days while living in San Francisco he was also a member of Indie / Alternative band American Music Club plus his music has been featured on many film scores and television broadcasts.

Hybrid is his current album that I recently wrote a review about here at New Age Music World. The 12 original compositions show pedal steel guitar as an appealing choice while clearing a new path of creative improvisations in light ambience and emerges as a natural contender in the vast field of music.

Bruce Kaphan and his music is described below in my review quote, along with the song video of Oregon Fire from the Slider album. This is a nice selection of Bruce performing on pedal steel guitar behind a backdrop of beautiful photography by Nick O’Kelly. Visit brucekaphan.com website to sample / purchase his music or visit his CDBaby.com page. Read his biography page and view his collective discography page. Read my review of Hybrid on our page dedicated to Bruce Kaphan. Studio photo copyright Bruce Kaphan courtesy of James Saxon

Bruce Kaphan makes a bold statement on Slider and current Hybrid album which features pedal steel guitar as the primary instrument. You will find his music is a unique blending of unrivaled beauty freshly harvested from another cross section in the vast field of music. It quickly becomes apparent this new emerging beauty will remain a lasting entity in the world of music.