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Kurt Plahna of Milwaukee records under the name Gratton and divides his efforts on Soundcloud between experimental music, remixes, and some of the prettiest fingerpicking compositions you’ll find. He owes a clear debt to Kottke, Fahey and others, but manages to sound unique on either 12 or 6 strings as seen in his Tolkien-inspired ‘Willow’ tune cycle. It starts with the contemplative yet perfectly evocative ‘Winter’s Wisp,’ which uses some moderate discord and a surprise ending that should go perfectly with December weather wherever you are.

Q & A

What is your goal in recording and sharing music?

The goal is to get my music out there and simply share what I’ve got to offer the Universe. And if I can make a little money along the way to support my hobby, great!
Ultimately, I’d love to have my music licensed for use in other people’s projects – movies, TV shows, video games, web, etc. Most of it is instrumental, which works well for soundtrack-type applications.

Come up with a descriptive, original genre name for your music.

Ambient Folk (though I’ve heard this before)
Atmospheric Folk!

Who do you view as a likely audience for your music?

Folks who enjoy peaceful, meditative music; guitar enthusiasts; folk/bluegrass/blues lovers; musicians

If trapped on a desert island with only 3 songs, which would they be?

1. ‘Moving Through Time’ by Angelo Badalamenti
2. ‘When The Levee Breaks’ by Led Zeppelin
3. ‘Starship Trooper’ by Yes

Is there an instrument you do not currently play that you’d like to learn?

Sitar

Who is your musical hero(es), if any?

SO MANY! But I’ll try to distill it down to a few crucial ones: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Medeski Martin & Wood, Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Claude Debussy, Miles Davis, Metallica, Angelo Badalamenti, John Williams (the composer), etc.!

You can hear more from Gratton on his website: Click Here