Artist description Full On! Description: Mastered by Leon Zervos (Aerosmith - 'Nine Lives', Dream Theater - 'Falling Into Infinity'/'Once In A Livetime'), Full On! is 7-string guitar virtuoso Toshi Iseda's first solo CD, featuring over 74 minutes of music produced, written, arranged and engineered by Iseda. One of the pioneering players of the 7-string solidbody electric guitar (Toshi has been playing 7-strings exclusively since 1991), Iseda is considered the foremost up-and-coming solo instrumental guitarist on the music scene. The fifteen track CD takes you on a journey through musical soundscapes, sonic tapestries, and over-the-top guitar. The opening track on Full On!, "Tokushima", brings to mind visions of the Orient with its exotic colors. The title track is a fast-paced double bass kick in the ass song that couldn't be heavier if Metallica played it. "High Noon" features an almost "wild-west-like" guitar solo duel between Michael Angelo and Iseda that is about as over the top as guitar playing can get. Other highlights include the groovacious and funkified "Custer's Last Groove" and "Predator" - with a guest appearance from former Dixie Dregs and Vinnie Moore bassist Andy West, the soul-wrenching ballad "The Sheltering Sky", featuring guest Tony MacAlpine on guitar, the upbeat tempo "92 In The Shade", featuring Tony MacAlpine on keyboards, and the mysterious "Affair With A Stranger", with Michael Terrana (Yngwie Malmsteen/Tony MacAlpine) on drums and Michael Angelo returning for another appearance on guitar. Each CD is hand-signed by the guitarist on the back of the CD insert and includes a Toshi Iseda signature guitar pick. THIS CD IS A "MUST HAVE" FOR ANY FAN OF INSTRUMENTAL GUITAR! - Over The Top! Records, Inc.

Music Style Instrumental Rock

Musical Influences Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai, Al Dimeola, Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, George Lynch, Greg Howe, Mike Stern, Pat Martino

Similar Artists Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, George Lynch, Tony MacAlpine,

Artist History TOSHI ISEDA! BIO: Born in Chicago Illinois, after being mesmerized by his uncle Jeff Brown playing guitar, Toshi Iseda was inspired to pick up the guitar. A guitarist since the 7th grade, Toshi has become known as THE prominent up-and-coming guitarist in the Midwest. Inspired by listening to a lot of different kinds of music, especially KISS, Aerosmith and Peter Frampton (The song "Do You Feel Like We Do?" had a profound effect on Toshi), he was motivated to practice up to 2 hours a day when first learning how to play. Toshi's first "serious" influences were guitarist such as Rock greats Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Adrian Vandenberg (when he was in the band Vandenberg), Uli Jon Roth, Jimi Hendrix, and Michael Schenker among others. After reading an interview with then UFO guitarist Michael Schenker in an issue of Guitar Player Magazine where Schenker spoke of how he practiced as many as 4 hours a day when starting, Toshi decided it was time to up the stakes on his practice regime. Toshi then started practicing up to 5 hours a day in order to play like Mike! Toshi eventually worked his practice schedule up to 15 hours a day!!! This practice schedule also included Toshi's classical guitar studies which he had later taken up after hearing about Randy Rhoads' classical influence. Toshi's classical guitar influences include Christopher Parkening, Andreas Segovia, Liona Boyd, John Williams and Julian Bream. Later his Rock influences would include Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert (circa Racer X), Jason Becker - basically the whole Shrapnel records collection -, George Lynch, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai. Unlike many of Toshi's guitar playing friends, he was also influenced by a great deal of non hard rock guitarist such as Ernie Isley, Al Mckay (from Earth Wind and Fire), George Benson and blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, B. B. King, Johnny Winter and Robert Johnson. As Toshi improved his influences grew to include such "fusion" guitarist as Steve Morse, Al DiMeola, Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin and Bill Conners. In 1985 and 1986, Toshi entered and won the 'Hot Licks' contest for two years in a row. The only guitarist to ever do so! He then received a scholarship to the world renown Berklee College Of Music where he majored in Music Synthesis and Performance. At Berklee he was consistently asked by fellow class mates for instruction on the modern techniques of the time and started teaching. Soon Toshi would have enough students to where his was able to financially support himself doing this. Eventually Toshi was teaching over 50+ hourly students a week which is what he averaged up until he stopped teaching, due to career commitments, in 2001. (During his time teaching in Chicago, Toshi was considered the #1 guitar instructor in the Midwest!) It was during this time, in 1988/89, that he hooked up with then Aerosmith keyboardist C. Bruce Ost who had recently gotten off tour with the group and formed the band 'Shoot Shoot', which went on to become one of Boston's most popular bands. Toshi left Shoot Shoot to form his own groups 'Clyde' then 'Autumn Lords' which also featured recently departed Tony MacAlpine bassist Mike Jacques. He then submitted tapes to Mike Varney and John Stix and featured in both Guitar Player Magazine's "Spotlight" column (July/1990) and Guitar F.P.M.'s "Resume" column (November/1990). It was then, in the winter/spring of 1991, that Toshi received a call from Columbia recording artist Heaven's Edge and was asked to join the group. Iseda had met the guys in the band while hangin' out one night in Philadelphia in 1990 with Shrapnel recording artist Richie Kotzen. Toshi then relocated to New Jersey where the band is from, and went on to play with them for approximately 6 month's where he then moved to N.Y.C. after leaving the group to be closer to a major music metropolis. While in New York he also taught privately and at the American Institute of Guitar in Manhattan. It was right about then that Toshi started playing 7-string guitars. A major turning point in his musical life. Toshi now plays 7-string guitars exclusively and is considered to be the foremost rock player and authority on 7-string guitars, currently owning 65 of them. Toshi has been featured in guitar/music magazines around the world including; Guitar Player, Guitar World, Guitar/Guitar One, The Guitarist Network. Internationally in magazines such as Young Guitar, Guitar F.P.M. and Guitar Magazine (JAPAN), Musica Pro (South America), Guitar Chef (Italy) and others. Having been featured on 10 CD's (including all four of Guitar World magazine's 'Indie Bin' CD's - the only guitarist asked to be on all four CD's!), in 1998 Toshi released his first solo CD, 'Full On!' on Over The Top! Records, and most recently collaborated with former Dixie Dregs bassist Andy West to record 'RAMA 1' on Magna Carta records. This project also features such renown musicians as drummers Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater/Liquid Tension Experiment), Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs/Winger/Jazz Is Dead), Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani/Einstein) and keyboardist Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen/Stratovarious), T. Lavitz (Dixie Dregs/Jazz Is Dead) and Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa/Steve Vai). Toshi is currently recording his follow-up to 'Full On!', plays in his own instrumental solo band and the hard rock vocal oriented group, 'Hell Personified' as well as producing other artists. He is endorsed by Audix, Cable Q2, DiMarzio, Dunlop, Eventide Harmonizers, Furman, Gibson strings, Morley, Monster Cable, Tech 21 NYC, Ovation and Vibro-Tek/Double Whammy. - Over The Top! Records, Inc.

Group Members Guest Apperances by: Tony MacAlpine (Guitarist/Keyboardist- Shrapnel/Favored Nations Recording Artist), Mike Terrana (Drummer- Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine), Andy West (Bassist - Dixie Dregs, Vinnie Moore), Eddie Head (Guitarist - Haji's Kitchen), Michael Angelo (Guitarist - Nitro), Craig Quinn Kasin (Drummer - Nitro) and many others

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, Strings,

Albums Full On!

Press Reviews "Toshi's new stuff sounds great! His use of the 7-string guitar and some real cool effects are refreshing. The tone is real warm and precise and his playing is totally wailing!" - John Petrucci (guitarist for Dream Theater). "Toshi plays awesome guitar on these tunes. He will surely be the envy of any guitarist who hears his work!" - Marty Friedman (Shrapnel/Favored Nations Recording Artist and former Megadeth guitarist) "One of the most enjoyable sessions that I have been a part of in quite sometime, has been my contributions on the new Toshi Iseda CD. It has always been a pleasure of mine to jam with great guitarist of our time, and certainly Mr. Iseda is included on that list. Enjoy this CD as much as I enjoyed playing on it." - Tony MacAlpine (Shrapnel Recording Artist) "Toshi is not only a great guitarist, but a brilliant songwriter and producer. The new CD ROCKS!" - Michael Angelo Batio (Solo Artist)

Location Chicago, IL - USA

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