State of Grace

Guillaume is part of this new breed of singer-songwriters that seem to defy categorization. While deeply rooted in the blues, country and American folk, his music incorporates many other influences, a testament to Guillaume's broad musical background. Guillaume grew up in Paris, France, and began music as a classical violinist. He later switched to the piano, and eventually found his calling in the guitar. After a few stints with various rock outfits and having relocated to New York, Guillaume switched his attention to the acoustic guitar. During these formative years Guillaume studied with some of the best acoustic guitarists on the planet including Woody Mann, Martin Simpson, Bob Brozman, John Cephas, Mike Dowling, Steve James. In 2003, Guillaume release his first solo record Traverse, a collection of original tunes crafted over the years, including two tracks with lyrics by Carl Casinghino. In the studio Guillaume enlisted the help of the Casinghino 7, a Northampton-based jazz/blues band. In 2005 Guillaume partnered with Jon Vesey to form the Second Fiddles, a country blues, country and ragtime combo featuring tight vocal harmonies, guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmonica. The Fiddles have matured and thrived and continue to be a force to be reckoned with on the New York City roots scene having performed close to 40 gigs in 2008 and shared the stage with some of today's greatest proponents of the acoustic blues genre such as Mary Flower, Steve James, Del Rey, Rich DelGrosso, Mike Dowling, Eric & Suzy Thomson, David Bennett Cohen. In 2008 Guillaume experienced some life changes that inspired him to record a second solo set of original tunes, may of them dealing with tough economic times, his young son and wife, and a hint of politics for good measure. This new CD called State of Grace was co-produced by David Bennett Cohen (former member of 1960's band Country Joe & the Fish) and features David on piano, Jon Vesey on mandolin, and a host of other great contributions. For the remainder of 2009, Guillaume looks forward to some great Second Fiddles performances and a possible recording project!