Scott Mishoe
Omnidirectional

"This guitar-instrumental CD ignites, squeezes, bites, shreds, slashes, and tears. The buyer accepts all responsibility for any damage its listening might cause, including, but not limited to, holes in walls, buildings vibrating from their foundations, scared pitbulls, and angry wives."

These are the warnings present in Omnidirectional, the only work by the alien guitarist Scott Mishoe, whose hyperspatial technique ventures into mystical places far from the perception of us humble strummers of medium-quality Yamaha guitars.

Omnidirectional doesn’t start from the first track but from the cover. It's the ultimate expression of "kitsch cover art": an artistic movement whose main exponents are musicians of this genre, perhaps too focused on their compositional work to think about its packaging. Or Narcissi... who simply settle for it, as long as they have space to show off their thick mane and phallic guitar in hand, signs of virility and mastery of the instrument (mischievous!).

"To enable you to play in tune with this tape, we provide the following sring tones"
The real beginning of the CD is entrusted to the words of Mr. Mishoe, who almost mocks the listener, inviting them to tune up to perform his work with him.

Mal-Funk-Shen is Scott's calling card and his particular technique, influenced by funk and rich with splendid slap hints that remind me, in my profound ignorance, only of that great musician Tuck Andress. But here we are on another level.
From semi-acoustic folkjazz, we move to electric-funkyjazz. The stereophonic pounding generated by the simultaneous play of bass and guitar is entertaining and surprising. The melodies are almost chased and courted by all the instruments, which together truly unleash energy and power. Occasionally, there's the classic sensation of something artificial, as if that atmosphere of jam and improvisation fades in favor of work too thought out and built on the musicians' virtuosity. But ballads like Theresa Ann show that Mishoe intends to express feelings with his guitar.
Whether he succeeds or not, it's only right to reward him for the intention.
Omnidirectional is full of interesting "visions," even for those who do not enjoy listening to this type of album. If with the two mentioned tracks I touched the beginning and the middle of the album, with Nacho Mama, I conclude my general overview. This piece embodies the essence of those visions I speak of and remains my favorite track.

Scott Mishoe and his band have the usual "flaws" of the genre, but one great virtue: when you listen to them and try to imagine them, you don’t see serious and rigid musicians with semi-angry faces, but the smiling faces of three children engaged in chasing each other in their playroom.