Rajiv Patel is a musician and virtuoso solo-guitarist from

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

Story

Patel's Bands

Soon after

Before Braille Before Braille is an independent rock band from Mesa, Arizona known for its DIY work ethicSalvia, Vanessa retrieved 2012-24-08 and as a pioneer of Arizona's emo-core movement, or as they liked to call it, "480-area-core," during the early 2000s. ...

recorded its debut LP, '' The Rumor'', Rajiv Patel was recruited and joined the band as its new lead guitarist.Dominic, Serene
''Blind Ambition'', The Phoenix New Times, Oct. 3, 2002
retrieved 02-25-12 Although he was still only in high school, Patel would seriously influence the style of

's music and, according to members of the band, significantly improve it. The significance of his contributions to

are most obvious when discovering that some of the music from his solo-releases, such as ''Make Like a Tree'' from ''Of Black Water'' and ''Make Like a Tree Part 2'' from ''Get Phased'' directly inspire the

song ''Ticker Tape Charade'', which appeared on the ''Spring Cleaning'' album. Patel is also well known for his work as "lead bass player" in the band

The Letterpress ''The Letterpress'' was a rock band from Mesa, Arizona, most widely known for its lack of guitars, as the band originally only consisted of two basses and a drum set. History The Letterpress was formed with the idea of doing something differen ...

. Unlike many other bands,

lacked any guitars, featuring only two bass players and a drummer. This, however, allowed the band to showcase Patel's skills in quite a different way to make up for the lack of guitarists.

Patel's Solo Work

In addition to his work as a member of various bands, Patel, would also garner significant attention as a solo-guitarist. Because of his unique style, which draws on rock and Middle-Eastern influences, many critics agree that his music might take a couple listens to get used to, yet all appear to enjoy his work, noting that "If you take the time to get into it, you’ll REALLY like this." Ron Trembath at FensePost.com provides another example of the critical acclaim for Patel's solo work, calling it "the fresh cigarette on a Sunday morning or, if you prefer, the black coffee for the unsurpassed rain. This is just plain wonderful."Trembath, Ron
''Rajiv Patel [Featured Artist]'', FensePost.com, Dec. 10, 2009
retrieved 03-15-12 His live show has been as well received as his recordings, leaving critics "blown away by what an amazing guitarist he is" and finding it "hard to believe someone could make that much music with just one instrument."

Patel's musical hiatus and return

In 2004, Patel took a two-year hiatus from the music industry in order to serve a mission in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). After returning from Peru, Patel got back into music. However, because

broke up while he was still in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, he would initially pursue other projects. One of them, for example, was a venture with former members of

and Jared Woosley of

Fivespeed Fivespeed was an American rock band, formed in Peoria, Arizona, United States, in 1997, and later based in Phoenix, Arizona. While in the beginning, Fivespeed's style was greatly influenced by the punk and hard-core movements,Garcia, Gilbert ''Sp ...

called Red Means Red, although it does not appear that this band ever really got off the ground.Red Means Red MySpace
retrieved 03-08-12 Then in 2009, Patel released his first solo recording in five years, the ''Get Phased'' EP, and toured with

Dear and the Headlights Dear and the Headlights was an American indie rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2005. They released two widely known demos, recorded by future bassist Chuckie Duff, before their debut album was released. These demos included five songs r ...

as both an opening act, as well as its bass player.

Discography

Solo albums

Albums with Bands

Solo Contributions to Compilations

* ''Americopa Mantle, Vol. 1'' (

Sunset Alliance Sunset Alliance Records is an independent record label based in Mesa, Arizona. It is owned and operated by David Jensen. History After the release of a couple LPs featuring local rock bands, original owner and founder Steve Lefever had plans to ...

, 2003) ::Song: Rock 'N Roll Friends Check Each Others' Books Back In

References

External links

Rajiv Patel MySpace (Inactive since 2010)

Sunset Alliance Records

Before Braille
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Rajiv American rock guitarists American male guitarists American indie rock musicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people)