Keita Akutsu is a native of Yokohama, Japan, and is an honors graduate of PIT, where he earned the Most Improved Student of the Year Award. Keita also graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with BFA in music where he studied under the guidance of Joe LaBarbera. He regularly performs at various major venues in the LA area including Catalina Bar & Grill. He has performed with such artists as Larry Koonse, Bob Shepard, Nate Morgan and Darek Oles among others. At PIT, Keita teaches private lessons and Traditional Jazz LPW.
The annual Warped Tour is taking shape and MI is offering student/grad bands a unique opportunity to battle it out to join the tour. Here’s how it works:
On Tuesday, May 27, New Orleans guitarist Phil DeGruy returns to GIT with his unique 17-string Guitarp for an afternoon open counseling session demonstrating his virtuoso solo performance skills. DeGruy recently released a new CD, Just Duet, on which he performs with guitar luminaries including Larry Coryell, Charlie Hunter, Mike Stern, Hank Mackie, Reeves Gabrels, Steve Masakowski, and David Tronzo.Steve Vai, no stranger to the outer orbits of guitar performance, said of DeGruy, "Phil's approach to the guitar sounds like John Coltrane meets Mel Brooks at a party for Salvador Dali. It's uncanny the way he has conjured up such an unorthodox way to attend to virtuosity."
Therése Neaime (Voice, Recording Artist) has released a video to accompany her single “How Could I” which is enjoying considerable airplay in Dubai and Europe. Filmed in Dubai, the video is a collaboration between production companies Ligist and Temple Fil .......
The Fabulous Miss Wendy (aka Wendy Jacobson, Voice) checks in to say, “Since attending Musician's Institute I have recorded a solo album (The Fabulous Miss Wendy, produced by Gerald V. Casale of DEVO and featuring world-famous drummer Josh Freese),played USO shows for the A .......
Joacim Cans (Voice) just sent this update from Sweden: “Well, my world turned upside down last Saturday when Team Cans won the Swedish edition of (televised vocal group reality-show competition) Clash of the Choirs. Now I need to get back to rea .......