Press Bio; Stan Hirsch  

Hailing from New Mexico U.S.A., Stan Hirsch has earned his living with guitar in hand for 50 years. But it was the critical acclaim and success of his first all acoustic blues CD, "No Room To Reason" that started Stan performing as a solo blues act in clubs, concerts and festivals across the USA and Europe. A critically acclaimed master of solo acoustic blues guitar,Stan Hirsch can drive a fiery bad-ass boogie sounding like a 3-piece band, or soar with a gut-wrenching, sweet, string-bending blues. Together with his commanding vocals, and his intimate, personal style he delivers a dynamic performance.  

He has followed up that first CD with two more acoustic blues outings; Covered In Blues (BFM031) and Compelled To Play (BFM091) both of which have enjoyed critical acclaim.  

In his own words; "I love the sounds coming from my hands thru the guitar. I am thankful everyday that I have been able to follow life's path as a working musician. The bottom line- I just love to play."  

Born in New Mexico-1949.  

(1966)---Stan’s professional career begins...Stan was sixteen when he auditioned and then was hired by a professional rock group that was touring around the southwest in support of a hit record that was getting a lot of airplay.  

(Next 30 years)---“paying the dues”...Cast into about every possible role a musician can play in order to continue earning a living. Performing as a band member and leader, studio man, sideman, solo. Clubs, good bars, bad bars, cafes, restaurants, coffeehouses, dances, weddings, from art fair stages to concert stages.  

(Mid 90’s) --- Stan started getting calls for his solo blues acoustic sets. “People were diggin’ it, the kind of music I’d do on the back porch for myself".  

(2000)---Right thing at the right time. First blues album ... "No Room To Reason" BFM2000. Great reviews, calls for gigs, a website, etc... He started getting national and international recognition!  

 

( Following is a page of short press quotes from CD and performance reviews.)  

 

“If you haven't heard this man before, then take this opportunity because here is a guitar master at work!" Terry Clear- Blues Bytes-International-Aug.09  

"Stan Hirsch-phenomenal doesn’t begin to describe his playing. Complete mastery of the six-string is more accurate. His guitar work is mesmerizing and his soul-drenched vocals are unlike any west of the Mississippi Delta."-M. Henningsen, Weekly Alibi (2001)  

“Appealing to blues fans and lovers of acoustic guitar in general, his sound - which manages to sound unique and familiar at the same time - falls somewhere between old-school country blues and greasy clubhouse. The result is unwaveringly tasty, in a home-fried kind of way.” - Michael Koster -For the Journal North (Santa Fe)(2001)  

"Hirsch is thrilling to listen to...He commands your attention with his deep-in-the-well singing, his knowledgeable fingering and his fresh compositions. Together these elements make you think he was born to the blues. Blues aficionado or not, you will be drawn to Hirsch's bewitching blues." Dave Steinberg The Sunday Journal 2001  

"...brilliant acoustic guitar virtuoso playing, it is doubtless on another level, and the vocals are well suited to the music...a mixture of his own compositions and personal arrangements of well known classics." Blues Matters Magazine-U.K. (England)- 2009  

"Minimalist instrumentation, a guitar and a voice especially lovely. I was really blown away and I highly recommend." By Andre' Perronnet -Blues Magazine *Red Heart Logo "Favorite" (France #58 (2010)  

"Hirsch is a beast on the guitar, acoustic or electric, and his respect for honest, unfiltered craftsmanship runs deep. Hirsch's intimate understanding of his six-string companion is on full display." Simon McCormack Weekly Alibi - July 2009  

 

“No matter what he plays he gets attention for his soulful virtuosity and mastery of a wide range of acoustic blues styles. Hirsch plays with a funky, energetic essence and a harrowing sense of tension. If his CDs are not yet in your collection, or if you have a chance to see him, Stan Hirsch is all that." Frank Matheis The Country Blues .com  

 

“Stan Hirsch is a gem of a guitarist and singer. Hirsch brings so much more to the stage than soulful blues. He can strum chords as if it were a flamenco tune. He can work chord structures to make you think he's in the middle of a folk song. And he doesn't just sing; he breaths life into the music." David Steinberg -Journal Venue: Music(2009)  

“Hirsch isn't so much playing the blues here as he is channeling them. Working percussive thumb picking into feverish crescendos and then cascading out into careful, sinfully beautiful arpeggios is just part of the recipe: Hirsch fleshes out the songs with minor key inversions and chord figures that, for most players, never get past glimmers of what's possible with five fingers manipulating six strings. In that regard, Hirsch's guitar prowess is simply on a higher plane. But he's also supremely gifted with the ability to make virtuosity palatable to even the most casual listener. Local IQ: By Michael Henningsen (2009)  

(NOTE: From Stan- “Thanks guys, I really am blown away by this stuff”)