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Nick Wallisch and his ever-growing cache of instruments have been a staple of the Live Music Capital for nearly a quarter century now, complete with crushing performances on drums, bass, piano, ukulele, and even penny whistle. That’s not to say Wallisch doesn’t play guitar as well (of course he does) but throughout recent memory he’s relegated lead six-string duties to his dear friend Ed Martinez A.K.A. “El Champion”.
Last year Martinez linked up with Wallisch and his father to record an instrumental LP, and quickly stole the show. The Wallisches agreed that Martinez’ guitar talents were going to be front and center but by the time they were putting the finishing touches on the full-length, El Champion passed away. As a result, The Legend of El Champion (which dropped at the top of the month) has been translated into a loving thirteen-song tribute that tears right into the mysticism of its eponymous subject with a truly wonderful guitar solo on the album opener and title track.
