ABOUT THE MUSIC:

Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellett are currently exploring new areas of contemporary acoustic music. By combining some of the better elements of Adult Contemporary music and Psychedelic Folk, with the sounds of Traditional American, Eastern European, Asian, and Middle Eastern music, they have created a hybrid style that is uniquely their own.

Performed on acoustic guitar, sitar, Greek and Irish bouzouki, Turkish cumbus, Moroccan oud, up-right bass, harmonium and Rhodes piano, their music has a strong autobiographical feel that accurately portrays a sense of who they are and where they live.

Recorded in their Malibu studio, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, their music is a reflection of their lives in Southern California as well as the previous work they've done in the areas of Film and TV composition, Traditional World music, Rock and Jazz.

BIOGRAPHY:

Todd Montgomery began experimenting with string instruments in the fourth grade. His first public performance was at age 12. Since then he has enjoyed learning to play such instruments as Irish bouzouki, sitar, mandolin and guitar. He spent his teen years in psychedelic rock bands until he discovered the folk music of America and Ireland and performed throughout California. In search of more improvisational music, he studied the sitar for 3 years with a real sitar master, Harihar Rao, who is Ravi Shankar's oldest student. He also enjoyed recording for a major movie soundtrack, The Veronica Guerin Story. When he's not playing music, Montgomery can often be found with his wife and son or surfing the waves off Malibu.

Gayle Ellett has been composing and producing music for over thirty years. He has written music for numerous Film projects and TV shows, commercials, animation, and music libraries. One of his main music groups, Djam Karet, currently has 16 CDs released so far, and has received great reviews and awards in hundreds of magazines world-wide, including Rolling Stone Magazine's "#2 Independent Album Of The Year" and Billboard Magazine's "Critic's Choice Award". When he's not busy working in the studio, Ellett can often be found flying his hang glider 3,000 meters high over the mountains of Southern California.

• More tracks by Gayle Ellett & Todd Montgomery