C. W. Vrtacek Explained

C.W. Vrtacek
Birth Name:Charles O'Meara
Birth Date:13 March 1953
Birth Place:Old Saybrook, Connecticut, US
Death Place:Madison, Connecticut, US
Genre:Electronic
Occupation:Musician, composer
Years Active:1980–2018
Associated Acts:Biota, Forever Einstein

Charles O'Meara (March 13, 1953 – October 20, 2018)[1] better known as C.W. Vrtacek, was an American multi-instrumentalist and composer.[2] He was a founding member of Forever Einstein and group member with Biota.

Career

Vrtacek took up guitar at the age of 11, and played in the band Dancing Lessons before starting Forever Einstein with Dancing Lessons drummer John Roulat.[3]

Vrtacek claimed to be influenced by anything from rock, folk, jazz, blues, ska, punk, avant garde, classical, to Irish music. He also cited unorthodox things such as church hymns, cartoon music, and the sounds made by pinball machines as being inspirational.[2] His solo music drew equally from the dissonances of Stockhausen and Varese as well as the melodies of French impressionists such as Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel, and also used tape loops.

In 2013, Vrtacek, along with Nick Didkovsky of Doctor Nerve, conceived and released the "$100 Guitar Project", a recorded project based upon the "journey" of a guitar purchased from a secondhand music shop for $100 that passed through the hands of over 65 players, each of whom recorded a piece with it and then signed it, in turn passing it along to the next player to do the same. The two-CD set, released on Bridge Records, features performances by such noted guitarists and musicians as Alex Skolnick, Fred Frith, Nels Cline, and many others.[4]

Discography

Solo
YearNameRef
1981Victory Through Grace
1982Days and Days
1986Learning to Be Silent[5]
1988When Heaven Comes to Town[6]
1992Days of Grace[7]
1996Silent Heaven[8]
1999Fifteen Mnemonic Devices[9]
2008By Chance
Forever Einstein
YearNameRef
1990Artificial Horizon[10]
1992Opportunity Crosses the Bridge[11]
1998One Thing After Another[12]
2000Down With Gravity[13]
2005Racket Science[14]
with Biota
YearNameRef
1995Object Holder[15]
2001Invisible Map[16]
2007Half a True Day[17]
2012Cape Flyaway
2014Funnel to a Thread
2018Fragment for Balance
Collaboration
YearNameArtistRef
1984Monkey on a Hard Rollw/ Dancing Lessons
1999Preacher in Naked Chase Guiltyw/ Chris Cutler & Thomas Dimuzio
2013The $100 Guitar Projectw/ various solo artists

External links

Notes and References

  1. Madison Funeral Home https://www.guilfordfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Charles-Chuck-OMeara?obId=3393202#/obituaryInfo
  2. Web site: Charles O'Meara (aka Vrtacek) . forevereinstein.com . August 9, 2012.
  3. Hill, Gary "C.W. Vrtacek Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved October 25, 2018
  4. Kozinn, Allan (2013) "A Generic Guitar Inspires a Distinctive Project", The New York Times, April 2, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2014
  5. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r505348|pure_url=yes}} Learning to be Silent Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  6. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r505349|pure_url=yes}} When Heaven Comes to Town Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  7. Web site: John . Bush . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r226283|pure_url=yes}} Days of Grace Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  8. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r254829|pure_url=yes}} Silent Heaven Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  9. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r1759782|pure_url=yes}} Fifteen Mnemonic Devices Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  10. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r53628|pure_url=yes}} Artificial Horizon Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  11. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r159650|pure_url=yes}} Opportunity Crosses the Bridge Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  12. Web site: William . Tilland . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r350873|pure_url=yes}} One Thing After Another Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  13. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r485465|pure_url=yes}} Down with Gravity Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  14. Web site: William . Tilland . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r725116|pure_url=yes}} Racket Science Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  15. Web site: John . Bush . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r226215|pure_url=yes}} Object Holder Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  16. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r532775|pure_url=yes}} Invisible Map Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.
  17. Web site: François . Couture . [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r1267443|pure_url=yes}} Half a True Day Overview ]. Allmusic . August 7, 2012.