What happens when three acclaimed fingerstylists join their superpowers? Andy McKee, Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall reveal the answer with Tripliciti, their new trio and self-titled textural album.

BY JIMMY LESLIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAT JOHNSON

Tripliciti make a stand. (from left) Andy McKee, Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall.

PUTTING MULTIPLE PERCUSSIVE fingerstylists in the same trio could be a three-ring disaster, but not when the ringmaster is the modern master and the others are accomplished disciples eager to serve the greater good.

That’s the recipe for Tripliciti, and their self-titled debut is layered with lovely interlocking parts laced with lush ambiance. It’s the ensemble guitar album of the year, and it could represent a watershed acoustic moment, with a tour and more music still to come.

Andy McKee is the headman, a player who, in a lot of ways, is like the acoustic Joe Satriani of this millennium. He’s arguably the most influential player of the era, certainly on solo acoustic and perhaps overall. And, as it turns out, McKee even has a Satch-like flair on the electric, something that’s highlighted on Tripliciti. His playing aside, McKee is eager to educate others on his groundbreaking techniques in forums like his immersive Musicarium camp, and to share the stage with virtuosos on tour when he’s not going it alone.

In addition, McKee spearheads the Guitar Masters tour that regularly features three gurus, like an acoustic version of Satch’s G3. The 2019 lineup included fellow modern fingerstyle monsters Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall, who are now united with McKee in Tripliciti.

It’s safe to say, Tripliciti defies expectations. Sure, they slap and tap their acoustics, but not in the overt fashion that made two-hand percussive fingerstyle so omnipresent with the advent of YouTube and the CandyRat label. The trio have their fireworks, but it’s nothing like the bluegrass-style ripping that’s come to dominate the virtuoso acoustic guitar playing of, say, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle.

Instead, Tripliciti is about textural tapestries. Each of the three guitarists takes turns leading on original tunes from their solo repertoire while the other two find complementary parts, often on highor low-pitched guitars, creating tri-toned sonics almost like a super guitar with extra strings played by a 30-fingered alien. Then there are extra goodies, such as EBow, slide, electric guitar and ambient effects that take the affair to otherworldly destinations.