Shane Perlowin is a voraciously eclectic guitarist, composer and improviser, based in Asheville, North Carolina. He is involved in a number of ongoing musical collaborations, and is perhaps most widely known for his anything-goes experimental project, Ahleuchatistas, which he founded in 2002, and has since released six celebrated albums for Tzadik Records, Cuneiform Records, and his own Open Letter Records. In 2010, he self-released his debut solo album "The Vacancy in Every Verse", showcasing his broad sonic palette and multifarious musical threads. In summer 2011, he released "Shaking the Phantom Limb," an album comprised entirely of solo acoustic pieces inspired by the American finger-style tradition and mixed with his own idiosyncratic twists. He performs with multi-instrumentalist/vocalist James Owen in the noise-psych-folk band, Doom Ribbons, which released its debut album, The Violence The Violence, in 2011. He collaborates with numerous musicians in the jazz and free improv idioms, and is a frequent accompanist. Since 2006 he has curated the Open Letter Music Series, presenting concerts in Asheville from the most cutting edge avant-garde musicians in the world today. Perlowin frequently tours internationally and teaches a sizable body of private guitar students while living in Asheville. His overall output defies genre, while reflecting an affinity for the history of his instrument and an ear toward its future development.
"Perlowin is an inventive guitarist who doesn't simply rummage through super-speed scales and excessive soloing jaunts, conveying innovation along the lines of eminent avant guitarists Henry Kaiser and Keith Rowe." -All About Jazz
"On three pieces Perlowin plays tempo-shifting acoustic fingerstyle guitar, but otherwise he sticks to electric, occasionally complementing his spindly solos with delay-pedal loops whose heavily processed post-Bill Frisell curlicues provide the fertile soil for his fleet, squiggling lines and abstract, acidic sound puddles." -Chicago Reader
"Impressive and engaging — and strikingly exquisite." -Columbia Free Times
"Diverse and inventive." -Chattanooga Pulse
"That Perlowin can achieve such a fastidious balance of conceptual sound and warm, organic tone is a testament to his immense talent." -Mountain Xpress
"There’s noise and fire in their playing, but most of these tunes are also studded with signposts, demanding close attention and clear execution." -New York Times
"It's the kind of musical tug-of-war that sounds as jagged as it is graceful..." -National Public Radio