Mario Parga

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Guitarist Mario Parga (born in Lytham, England 7th August 1969) came into the spotlight during the late 80's when he began appearing in numerous guitar and rock magazines such as Guitar Player, Metal Hammer, Kerrang, Metal Forces, etc. and played a live guitar solo on MTV's 'Metal Hammer' show.

During the early 90's he toured/played/recorded with numerous artists, most notably Cozy Powell and Graham Bonnet. In 1991, his debut guitar instrumental album The Magician was released by President Records. Following disillusionment with the music industry, Parga shyed away from the scene until he re-emerged in Los Angeles in 1998, playing guitar on Graham Bonnet's The Day I Went Mad.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest sweep arpeggio players of the guitar 'shred' genre, Parga combines complex arpeggio patterns with rapid alternate Sweep-picking and string bending. He is also renowned for his emotive slower playing.

Sometime during the year 2000, Parga was approached by the guitar label Liquid Note Records and recorded his instrumental 'Valse Diabolique' for their The Alchemists album. Two years later, he recorded his haunting ballad 'Hourglass' for Lion Music's Warmth in the Wilderness II, a tribute to fellow guitarist Jason Becker.

Early in 2007, Parga announced the creation of his own record label 'MidnightCafe Music', (the name taken from his track 'The Midnight Cafe' from The Magician) and plans on releasing his future instrumental guitar music through it.

Official Websites:

Mario Parga Offical Website[1]
MidnightCafe Music [2]
MidnightCafe Studios [3]

Sources of information:

Mario Parga Official Website
MidnightCafe Music
President Records
Liquid Note Records
Lion Music
'The Modern Guitarist' by author Matt Williams
Truth in Shredding
Shredaholic.com
Metal Hammer
Kerrang
Metal Forces
Instrumental Maniacs
Rock Detector.com