Fingerstyle Guitarist Releases New Album 'Spirit of the Strings'

Linz, Austria (www.gitarreladen.at) - Marcus Doneus, a solo acoustic fingerstyle guitarist from Austria, has released his brand new album "Spirit of the Strings". The CD contains 14 tracks of original instrumental compositions with lyrical melodies, often referred to as impressionistic acoustic paintings. "Marcus Doneus is a talented guitarist who combines outstanding techniques with accomplished compositions," Henk te Veldhuis of Bridge Guitar Reviews writes. German magazine Akustik Gitarre agrees," He belongs to a generation of fingerstyle guitarists, that really internalize the spirit of the instrument."

Born 39 years ago in Linz, Austria, Marcus took classical guitar lessons for more than a full decade at his local music school. "I guess I inherited my mother's musical genes," Marcus says. "She passed away when I was a baby. Nobody else in my family had any interest in music. I started playing guitar at the age of 7 and came to realize soon that guitar music was a way to express myself."

His interest were, however, of much more diverse nature, reaching well beyond the usual routine of music learning and practicing - Marcus has studied tourism and worked as a graphic designer in a travel agency among a number of other activities. "Looking back, I wasted 10 years not being a professional musician," Marcus sighs in hindsight. "On the other hand, these times in my life provided me with important experiences – the friends I met, the countries I saw, the loves I fell in. I think my music is largely influenced by what happened to me during these years."

A founding member of LIGA-Linz Guitar Association, he put up a guitar store and -school, aptly titled Ohrwurm (ear worm), in his home town in 1996. Marcus has been writing music since early '80s, with three long play albums under his belt. "I've never wanted just to copy other artists, I have always tried to find my own musical language," he explains. "My influences come mainly from Latin, classical and celtic music, in addition to the obvious. Finally, I'm at the point of really having something to say with my compositions. When I'm creating music, I think of myself as a channel through which music becomes alive, from wherever it may come."