Gary Lucas

Gary Lucas has worn many hats since his early 1980s stint with Captain Beefheart. His virtuosic guitar abilities take center stage in his solo performances. His effects-enhanced six-string can sound like a mini-orchestra; his acoustic steel guitar work, on the other hand, brings out a more intimate bluesy side. In the '90s he led the song-oriented experimental rock trio Gods & Monsters. In 1998, he made an album of quirky children's songs for the Tzadik label's Radical Jewish Culture imprint. His cover arrangements, including unlikely reworkings of Kraftwerk, Abdullah Ibrahim, and music from Fiddler on the Roof, stand out as some of his most interesting efforts.