When the names Guthrie Trapp and Tom Bukovac appear on the bill for a show, you know you are going to hear some world-class guitaring.
Guthrie Trapp and Tom Bukovac’s “Guitar Party” at Chicago’s Martyrs’ was, however, so much more than just a guitar nerd’s wet dream. They brought along a cadre of other world-class musicians to make sure that this was a show that truly had something for everyone.
Guthrie opened the show with his regular co-conspirators from the GT trio; Jordan Perlson and Tim Marks handling percussion and bass duties respectively. Those who have managed to catch the trio performing their regular Monday night residency at the Underdog in Nashville will be aware that these are three truly incredible musicians who are seemingly telepathically connected to each other when they step on stage to play together. The truth behind how tight these three are when they play together live, however, is likely not in the realm of the paranormal, but merely due to the fact that these are musicians who have spent thousands of hours honing their craft (both alone and then live in each other’s company). Jordan and Tim are both top-tier session musicians in Nashville and have credits with numerous highly successful artists. In the live setting with the trio, however, they get to stretch out and express themselves in ways they may not always be able to in the confines of session work. It’s a joy to watch them effortlessly handle music that often has complex rhythmic elements/time signatures with seeming ease and with big smiles on their faces. Of course, you then have Guthrie who sprinkles his guitar wizardry on top of this rock-solid base. In a recent interview with Rick Beato, Tom mentioned that he thought Guthrie’s playing was currently at another level due to the fact that he was playing live shows on a weekly basis with the trio. We’d have to say, we fully agree with that assessment. Whether he is hanging on one note or furiously flying up and down the fingerboard, not a single note is wasted and all of what he plays is musical.
After a couple of GT Trio numbers warmed up the crowd, it was time for Tom to take to the stage. Having played together a number of times, Tom and Guthrie put out a fantastic record, In Stereo, last year. In our opinion, it’s a very difficult task to put together an instrumental guitar record that truly holds a listener’s attention. Obviously, there are some who are great at this (Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Eric Johnson to name a few). With In Stereo, Guthrie and Tom should undoubtedly hold a place on this list. The album is far from being a simple technical showpiece, with the various tracks weaving through different musical styles and genres but always with an eye to melody and musicality. As they launched into a couple of tracks from the album, a smile broke out across Tom’s face and never really left for the rest of the set. His playing, as you would expect, was immaculate throughout the night. He is a guitarist who just knows what to play and when to play it – again, a skill honed through relentless practice and playing. One of the most endearing things about watching Tom play live is the fact that he genuinely seems to get as much enjoyment out of laying back into a rhythm role and watching those around him step up to play as he does from taking center stage himself for a solo. When he does step forward for a solo, however, it’s like watching a masterclass. He is so intentional in his playing, wringing the last drop of emotion out of every single note as though his life depended on it. A couple of additional members then made their way to the stage as Jedd Hughes and Jimmy Wallace joined the party. Jimmy truly added another dimension to the band on keys, with some wonderful playing and also took to the mic to provide great lead and backing vocals on a few tracks. Jedd is a true triple threat – initially stepping out onto the stage with his Telecaster, he looked perfectly at ease trading licks with GT and TB. Then the rest of the band left the stage and Jedd, now with an acoustic guitar, hypnotized the room, showing off the other two weapons in his arsenal – singer and songwriter. This acoustic section of the evening with Jedd provided a really nice additional element, slowing things down a bit and perfectly setting up the last portion of the show. As Jedd took his well-earned applause, the band headed back to the stage with yet another additional member, singer and bass player Nick Govrik. Nick added a little touch of rock and roll to the proceedings, stepping up to sing a great new track of his that is soon to be released along with a couple of great covers (including a fantastic version of “Six Days on the Road”) that really got the whole band cooking and everyone in the audience moving around. Tom, at one point, saying, “Nick, man – how do you look so cool on stage without an instrument!?”. And it’s true… Nick obviously has the chops and the voice (table stakes to be invited to perform with this group) but he also has that other intangible that you see in rock and roll frontmen that makes it impossible to take your eyes off him.We could talk all day about the technical mastery of instruments that was on full display throughout the night from every person that graced the stage (indeed Guthrie, Tom, and a couple of other musicians on the stage spend a decent chunk of their time educating others and there were certainly some students in the audience there to watch them rip). Whilst that was impressive, what really made these two nights at Martyrs’ truly special was watching a group of friends on stage doing what they enjoy most – making music with each other. In today’s online world, there are many players who have phenomenal technical chops but it’s a whole other thing to have the ears and musical intelligence to play with other musicians and make it sound truly great. Each of the musicians on the stage has so much ability in that area that, standing in the audience watching these shows, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was a band that had been playing together for years rather than a group of friends who didn’t have a definitive setlist and, as Tom put it who “have not been doing this enough to be sick of each other yet!”.
We’ve said it before at Loud Hailer – when the band on the stage looks like they are having as much fun as the people in the audience, it’s always a good show. These two sold-out nights at Martyrs’ were proof of that. Let’s hope young Tom is able to book the boys a couple of premium SUVs for a return trip to Martyrs’ sometime in ‘25 so we can all enjoy another Guitar Party sooner rather than later!WORDS BY: Phil Walton
PHOTOS BY: Kirstine Walton
GUTHRIE TRAPP
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TOM BUKOVAC
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