This week on eTown we feature two amazing guitar players! Trace Bundy is a leading exemplar of contemporary acoustic instrumental music and Ron Artis II is an eclectic player with great range who also sings heart-wrenching songs. Nick also has a chat with Byron Kominek, a proponent of agrivoltaics – the art of growing plants within the micro-climates that exist under solar panels.
That’s all this week on eTown.
Trace Bundy
Internationally-acclaimed guitar virtuoso Trace Bundy must be seen, not just heard. His music is poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience. Listening to his intricate arrangements is one thing, but seeing the fan-dubbed “Acoustic Ninja” play live confounds even the most accomplished music lovers as to how one person can do all that with just two hands and ten fingers.
Bundy’s unique career has brought him across the world, with concerts in 28 countries and counting – from high-tech performance halls in South Korea and Italy, to remote villages in Zimbabwe and Guatemala. He has independently sold over 150,000 albums on his record label, Honest Ninja Music. His video clips circulate virally at astonishing speed, with over 45 million YouTube views to date.
Jimmy Leslie at Guitar Player Magazine blogs “It was easy to see why Bundy plays bigger venues on each tour. In his hands, the acoustic guitar is an imagination station, and there was no telling where he is going take the audience at any given turn. Thrilling stuff.”
Audiocast Magazine from Austin, TX agrees: “Bundy’s live show is without a doubt an event that needs to be witnessed rather than told about. With such a jaw-dropping performance, Bundy’s live concert is a slap in the face that would leave a palm print on the memory of everyone in the audience.”
Trace Bundy is an internationally touring musician who has performed for 20 years, captivating audiences in 28 countries and across the U.S. With over 45 million YouTube views and 150,000 independently sold CDs, his global impact is undeniable.
Ron Artis II
Hailing from Haleiwa, HI, the award-winning Ron Artis II brings a unique soulful-honest-songwriting style to the stage. Performing all original music and energizing audiences all across the globe, you’ll be sure to leave the experience feeling loved, electrified and pondering the lyrics.
“I never go on stage for me,” says Artis. “Every concert is my last concert. I never want to take these moments for granted because you’re worth it.”
Recently, Artis has performed as a special guest of the Zac Brown Band at Lincoln Field Stadium, received an invite from The Rolling Stones, and shared the stage with Joan Baez, who joined him in performing his song “Before You Go.” Seal has called him “a real treasure,” while Gary Clark Jr. remarked, “Dude, you’re tall in person.” Artis has also been invited to write with John Oates and was a special guest artist on the Joe Bonamassa KTBA Cruise.
Artis typically tours as a ‘power trio,’ accompanied by his wife and five children. Together, they have toured over 18 countries, performed at hundreds of festivals, and connected with thousands of fans.
Byron Kominek
Byron Kominek is the Executive Director of the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center and founder of Jack’s Solar Garden. Byron is a former US diplomat having served with the US Agency for International Development in Zambia and Mozambique working on forestry and wildlife conservation. Through his work in Africa with USAID, the Peace Corps Volunteer and with Doctors Without Borders, Byron has a long-standing interest in natural resource management and governance. Byron recently was honored as a 2024 US Ashoka Fellow to continue educating and inspiring Americans with his work in agrivoltaics.
Other recent fellowships Byron has participated in include the CiviCO Colorado Governor’s Fellowship and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Energy Executive program. He is on the Board of Visit Longmont to encourage agritourism in the greater Longmont area and works on his family’s farm just south of town where Jack’s Solar Garden is located. Byron speaks rusty French and Portuguese and through-hiked the Appalachian Trail with his old dog Mosi in 2016.