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Album Details
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· Produced By: Milan Polak
· Running Time: 52.28
· Release Date: Out Now
· Released: EU
· Genre: Instrumental Hard Rock
· WebLink:
· LabelLink: Lion Music
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Artist Bio
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MILAN POLAK
I grew up and lived in a lot of different places all over the world such as Korea, Kenya,
Saudi-Arabia, Austria, Germany, Singapore, Italy & U.S.A. which gave me the opportunity to
get in touch with a lot of different cultures and musical styles.
This experience, of course, had a major impact on my view of this world as well as my music.
I have always wanted to be a musician. Originally, I wanted to become a drummer but never
got a drum-set from my parents because it was too expensive.
So, I began playing the guitar in 1983 when I was about 13. I had a songbook called
"Beatles Complete" and that's how I learned strumming the first few chords on an acoustic
guitar. Having a natural ear helped me to progress at a pretty fast pace.
Soon after that, I got my first electric guitar and got into AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and
Van Halen. Then a friend of mine turned me on to Randy Rhoads and after hearing him,
I knew that I wanted to be a serious guitarist.
I spent hours trying to figure out Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert & Randy
Rhoads-solos by ear (yes, at that time there were no instructional books or videos available -
I had to do it the old-fashioned way!) and must have worn out a couple of tape-decks.
In 1985, after two years of serious playing, I started to get into the local scene and
got myself a name. Local Magazines started to call me "the most talented guitarist of Austria".
After high school I attended the "Schubert Jazz-conservatory" but left after a few months
because things were not moving fast enough for me.
Around the same time Jazz guitarist Les Wise opened up the "American Institute of Music",
the European answer to MI & Berklee College.
There I went on to study jazz/fusion with Wayne Brasel and was one of the first students to receive a professional diploma in Feb. 1991.
My demos started to create some interest and I received a lot of kind feedback from various
magazines and books like "The Modern Guitarist" by Matt Williams.
Around that time I also sent a tape to John Stix of "Guitar for the Practicing Musician" who
reviewed it and featured me in his column "Resume" in Dec. 1990.
In 1991 I also accepted an offer to teach at A.I.M. and became co-head of the
rock-department until the school closed down in 1995. Here I met some cool musicians like
Rich Kern, Lale Larson, Todd Duane, Joey Tafolla, Shawn Lane, Deen Castronovo,
Frank Gambale a.m.o.
Around that time I used to hang out at the local rock-club a lot and got the chance to jam with
people like Jeff Waters of "Annihilator", Dimebag Darrell of "Pantera" and Dizzy & Matt Sorum
of "G & R" who all came to that club after their concerts.
In Feb. of 1993 Mark Varney released the third CD of the series "Guitar On the Edge - the
World's Hottest Guitarists" which featured my tune "Where Were You Tomorrow?".
It was followed by the release of No. 4 in 1994 featuring "Absolutely Positive".
The next two years I spent teaching, doing studio- & live-gigs, playing at music fairs and
writing & recording songs for both my solo career and my band "New World",
a four piece band that sounded like "Dream Theater" meets "Pantera".
In 1994 I signed a record deal with "Rock the Nation" for "New World" and a solo album,
two CD's were released in 1995 - "Guitar 2001" & "Changing Times", which both received very
good reviews all over Europe. Unfortunately, the record company had some financial problems
and the band broke up frustrated.
In 1995 I played with the band "Tangerine Dream" on the 12 July in Los Angeles at the SIR Theater to present their release "Tyranny of Beauty".
Between 1995 and 1997 I had the great opportunity to meet and play with some of the world's
greatest musicians such as Billy Sheehan ("Mr. Big" & Steve Vai), jazz bassist Steve Bailey
and Marty Friedman ("Megadeth"), not only one of the best & most underrated guitarists of
today but also a great guy. We became friends when jamming with Ken Hensley of
"Uriah Heep" at "Ampeg/Crate"-shows.
In 1996 I played guitars for a musical called "Blondel", recorded a CD with Austrian songwriter
Sigi Maron called "Raps und Rübsen".
In the year of 1997 I became the guitarist of Falco, Austria's only internationally successful
pop star who even had a No.1 smash-hit in the U.S. billboard-charts called
"Rock me Amadeus".
He had been looking for a guitarist for about a year and just prepared to go to England
because he was convinced that he could not find a suitable guitarist anywhere else anymore.
A mutual friend recommended me and Falco gave me a shot just the evening before he
flew to London. It was love at first sight and Falco started to introduce me to people as his new
guitarist before he had even seen me play just because he had listened to the songs
"Dreamscapes" & "Spanish Romance".
The next morning he still left to London for about three weeks saying that if he could not find
a better guitarist there, I would have the job.
These three weeks became some of the hardest times in my life...
Tragically, our collaboration quickly came to an end when Falco died in a car-accident on the
6th of February in 1998.
That same year the instructional series "Guitar Heroes - Real Technique" was also released.
I had started to write it in 1997 as a product of my intense teaching experience.
A Falco-CD called "Verdammt, Wir Leben Noch" was released in 1999 featuring me on
the song "Poison".
The year of 2000 was heavily occupied by a project called the "Falco cybershow" - a huge
event that combined elements of a rock concert with elements of musical plus technical
madness such as water walls, laser show, etc.
A CD with the O.S.T. was released the same year.
In 2001 I was asked to join forces with Haddaway, a relict of the Dance-scene of the 90ies,
who once had a big hit called "What Is Love" and was trying to re-launch his career.
A concert at "Stars & Bars" in Monaco followed as well as the CD "My Face", which
was also my first job as an international producer.
2002 saw me getting back more to the "guitar-hero-thang" again when I turned in the
instrumentals "Sometimes I still miss you" for an album called "The Alchemists" (Liquid Note
Records) as well as "Utopia" for the Jason Becker-tribute "Warmth In The Wilderness Vol. II"
(Lion Music), which also featured great musicians such as Steve Vai, Marty Friedman,
Randy Coven a.m.o.
In 2003 I was involved in the two productions "Mit Grosser Sorge" by De Luca and the Falco cover version "Rock Me Amadeues" by Missterious which entered Austrian and Swiss Top Ten-charts, before relocating to Hamburg, Germany in July.
I had also started to work on the project-album "J.A.M." featuring the great talents of Alessandro Benvenuti & Joel Rivard which I finished in my new studio in Hamburg.
"J.A.M." was released in May 2004 and received great acclaim worldwide including "Album of the Month", a no. 2 chart position in the Jazzwise UK-charts and "best overall selling CD" at guitar9.com.
I also started to work on a crossover-project with the renowned classical violin player
Lidia Baich that is still in process. Excerpts can be found in the music section.
In March 2005 the renowned label Lion Music will release my long awaited 2nd solo-CD "Dreamscapes" followed by "Guitar Odyssey" in June 2005, which is a re-mastered version
of the sold out CD "Guitar 2001" featuring an extra bonus track.
Studies:
- Selftaught Rockguitarist
- Schubert Jazz Conservatory, Vienna
- Jazz / Fusion at the American Institute of Music (Professional Diploma)
Gigs & Livejams:
- w/ Jeff Waters (Annihilator) and Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) - Feb 91
- w/ Members of Guns'n Roses - Summer 92
- w/ Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) - Mar 95
- w/ Tangerine Dream (including appearance on "Good Morning, America!") - USA, Jul 95
- w/ Jazzbassist Steve Bailey - Mar 96
- w/ Marty Friedman (Megadeth) and Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) - Mar 97
- w/ Falco - Lauda Gala - Dec 97
- "Tribute to Jimi Hendrix" - Euromusic-Fair - Sept 99
Activities & Engagements:
- Co-Head of Rockdept. of the American Institute of Music - 1991-95
- 1st european guitarist in "Guitar for the practicing musician" - Dec 90
- Rotterdam "Ahoi" Musicfair - Sep 93
- Frankfurt Musicfair - Mar 94
- Frankfurt Musicfair - Mar 95
- Roland Austria-Tour - May 95
- Musical "Blondel" - Austria, Jul-Aug 96
- Jingle Productions (Persil, Silan...)
- Universum - "Land des Eisens"
- Musical Director for "Tohuwabohu-Live" - March-May 98
- F@lco-Cybershow 2000
CDs:
- 1st european Guitarist on M. Varney's
"Guitar on the Edge - the world's hottest guitarists", Vol. 1 No 3 - Feb 93
- "Guitar on the Edge - the world's hottest guitarists", Vol. 1 No 4 - Feb 94
- "Changing Times" w/New World (RTN) - Jan 95
- "Guitar 2001" Solo (RTN) - Jun 95
- "Raps und Rübsen" - Sigi Maron - 1996
- "Verdammt wir leben noch" - Falco - 1999
- "F@lco - A Cybershow" - 2000
- "My Face" - Haddaway - 2001
- "The Alchemists" - 2002
- "Warmth In The Wilderness Vol. II" - 2002
- "Mit Grosser Sorge" - De Luca - 2003
- "Rock Me Amadeus" - Missterious - 2003
- "J.A.M." - 2004
Books:
- Guitar Heroes - "Real Technique" (Universal Edition)
- Guitar Heroes - "Real Fretboard Harmony" (Universal Edition)
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