Modern Fingerstyle Guitarist Alexandr Misko with Forest Bailey
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Alexandr Misko
Alex Misko, a modern fingerstyle guitar prodigy, mesmerizes audiences worldwide and represents a remarkable new generation in his craft. From viral videos to Carnegie Hall and
collaborations with Hans Zimmer, his music bridges the old and new, captivating audiences online and at live shows. With seven albums, global tours, and a one-of-a-kind self-invented
instrument, he is hailed as a multigenre guitar maestro.
Still in his 20s, Misko has gained widespread recognition both in his homeland and internationally. Drawing inspiration from the pioneering musicians who shaped the genre, Misko
breaks new ground while staying true to the essence of the music, keeping the legacy of the style strong. Alex began playing at the age of 12, studying classical guitar with a private
teacher for three years. After discovering modern fingerstyle guitar online, he embarked on a self-taught journey to master the style.
In 2015, while still in high school, his original piece “Guitar + Pen Tapping Song” went viral, surpassing 1,000,000 views and marking his first major online breakthrough.
In 2016, his video cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” received more than 30,000,000 views on Facebook, firmly establishing his presence on the international guitar scene.
The following year, his rendition of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” gained more than 80,000,000 views across Facebook and YouTube within a single month.
Since then, Misko’s YouTube channel has experienced exponential growth, now exceeding 1,000,000 subscribers.
In October 2018, he was awarded the prestigious “Guitarist of the Year” title by the renowned UK magazine MusicRadar in London. In November 2019, he released his third solo album,
Roundtrip, recognized for its innovative sound and mature compositions and considered a pinnacle of his work at that time. In January 2020, he performed at the iconic Carnegie Hall in
New York alongside world-renowned harpist Alexander Boldachev. This collaboration evolved into a long-term duo project, resulting in an innovative live show where guitar and harp function
as a single musical entity. Alongside their solo careers, the duo performs at festivals worldwide, spanning both guitar-focused and classical music stages.
Over the years, Misko has released seven albums and performed extensively across the globe, from America to Japan, playing concerts as well as teaching workshops and lectures.
Even during the global pandemic, when travel was impossible, Alex continued to grow his audience, maintain close contact with fans, and explore new collaborative directions.
In 2021, Misko released the album Take Your Time with acclaimed European bassist Dmitriy Toporov, following the success of several popular duo videos and singles.
Around the same time, Misko collaborated with the German brand Baton Rouge Guitars to create a groundbreaking instrument capable of realizing ideas no conventional guitar could handle.
Named the Frankenstein Guitar, it is the only acoustic instrument in the world featuring a unique triple detuning system that allows instant tuning changes during performance, a built-in
percussive drum-kit system, and 14 pickups designed to deliver its full sonic power on stage. Misko frequently collaborates with fellow guitarists such as Jon Gomm, Mike Dawes, Andrea
Valeri, and Alan Gogoll, actively working to strengthen the global guitar community and foster a supportive, inclusive, and joyful environment for musicians worldwide.
In 2023, Misko relocated from Russia to Germany, marking a new chapter in his career. This move enabled closer collaboration with European artists and facilitated more extensive touring.
That same year, the Alexandr Misko Signature Guitar was released in collaboration with Baton Rouge Guitars, based on the experimental Frankenstein Guitar. The goal was to create a unique
yet affordable instrument designed for modern guitar playing, empowering other musicians to explore new creative directions.
In 2024–2025, Misko worked on an ambitious collaboration with influential composers Hans Zimmer and Aleksey Igudesman on the soundtrack for the German TV series Black Gold
(Schwarzes Gold). The album featuring these collaborative tracks was released at the end of 2025, marking Misko’s debut as a film composer. With a clearly recognizable style that blends
cutting-edge technical innovation with accessible musicality, Alexandr Misko’s compositions resonate with listeners across cultures. His music transcends cultural barriers and speaks a universal language wherever it is heard.
Forest Bailey
Forest crafts a unique combination of fingerstyle, tapping and percussive playing that is all his own. Drawing from various influences like Michael Hedges, Andy Mckee, Antoine Dufour, Scale
The Summit, Led Zeppelin, Chon, and Covet, each song is a musical journey that further shows what two hands and a guitar can accomplish. He underscores these sonic adventures with an
exciting, welcoming and humorous stage presence that exudes every ounce of passion he has for his craft. Although initially enamored by classic rock and heavy metal in his teenage years,
his curiosity led to a focus on solo acoustic guitar in 2015. Upon discovering the nuances that a steel string acoustic guitar can create, he quickly found the home for his compositions. These
joyful and adventurous music experiments have led him to performing both nationally and internationally, from California to North Carolina, All across Canada and even to Australia. The
year 2018 saw the debut release of Forest’s debut instrumental album, “Let The Clouds Pass.” The years 2018-2019 had Forest Zigzagging across the USA in a fully independent national
tour, over 40 concerts in 26 states, 70,000 miles in a station wagon loaded with his guitars and a dream. 2023 was the year of doing the “Nashville thing”. While he never acquired cowboy boots,
he further cut his teeth on all genres from Rock, Country and Pop, performing hundreds of popular songs and running across bar tops. Ultimately, it was not the true path of this original
artist and he relocated back home to the West Coast USA where he could continue exploring his own musical style.
In 2025, Forest was invited to open a sold out 26 date run of coast to coast tour of Canada with guitar legend Alex Misko.
Forest has been invited to perform with other fingerstyle acoustic musicians such as Adrian Bellue, Christie Lenee, Van Larkins, Mark Kroos, Kat Gruvs and Janet Noguera. His songs
“Midnight Picnic” and “Daybreak” have been featured on the Candyrat Records YouTube channel.
Alex Misko, a modern fingerstyle guitar prodigy, mesmerizes audiences worldwide and represents a remarkable new generation in his craft. From viral videos to Carnegie Hall and
collaborations with Hans Zimmer, his music bridges the old and new, captivating audiences online and at live shows. With seven albums, global tours, and a one-of-a-kind self-invented
instrument, he is hailed as a multigenre guitar maestro.
Still in his 20s, Misko has gained widespread recognition both in his homeland and internationally. Drawing inspiration from the pioneering musicians who shaped the genre, Misko
breaks new ground while staying true to the essence of the music, keeping the legacy of the style strong. Alex began playing at the age of 12, studying classical guitar with a private
teacher for three years. After discovering modern fingerstyle guitar online, he embarked on a self-taught journey to master the style.
In 2015, while still in high school, his original piece “Guitar + Pen Tapping Song” went viral, surpassing 1,000,000 views and marking his first major online breakthrough.
In 2016, his video cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” received more than 30,000,000 views on Facebook, firmly establishing his presence on the international guitar scene.
The following year, his rendition of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” gained more than 80,000,000 views across Facebook and YouTube within a single month.
Since then, Misko’s YouTube channel has experienced exponential growth, now exceeding 1,000,000 subscribers.
In October 2018, he was awarded the prestigious “Guitarist of the Year” title by the renowned UK magazine MusicRadar in London. In November 2019, he released his third solo album,
Roundtrip, recognized for its innovative sound and mature compositions and considered a pinnacle of his work at that time. In January 2020, he performed at the iconic Carnegie Hall in
New York alongside world-renowned harpist Alexander Boldachev. This collaboration evolved into a long-term duo project, resulting in an innovative live show where guitar and harp function
as a single musical entity. Alongside their solo careers, the duo performs at festivals worldwide, spanning both guitar-focused and classical music stages.
Over the years, Misko has released seven albums and performed extensively across the globe, from America to Japan, playing concerts as well as teaching workshops and lectures.
Even during the global pandemic, when travel was impossible, Alex continued to grow his audience, maintain close contact with fans, and explore new collaborative directions.
In 2021, Misko released the album Take Your Time with acclaimed European bassist Dmitriy Toporov, following the success of several popular duo videos and singles.
Around the same time, Misko collaborated with the German brand Baton Rouge Guitars to create a groundbreaking instrument capable of realizing ideas no conventional guitar could handle.
Named the Frankenstein Guitar, it is the only acoustic instrument in the world featuring a unique triple detuning system that allows instant tuning changes during performance, a built-in
percussive drum-kit system, and 14 pickups designed to deliver its full sonic power on stage. Misko frequently collaborates with fellow guitarists such as Jon Gomm, Mike Dawes, Andrea
Valeri, and Alan Gogoll, actively working to strengthen the global guitar community and foster a supportive, inclusive, and joyful environment for musicians worldwide.
In 2023, Misko relocated from Russia to Germany, marking a new chapter in his career. This move enabled closer collaboration with European artists and facilitated more extensive touring.
That same year, the Alexandr Misko Signature Guitar was released in collaboration with Baton Rouge Guitars, based on the experimental Frankenstein Guitar. The goal was to create a unique
yet affordable instrument designed for modern guitar playing, empowering other musicians to explore new creative directions.
In 2024–2025, Misko worked on an ambitious collaboration with influential composers Hans Zimmer and Aleksey Igudesman on the soundtrack for the German TV series Black Gold
(Schwarzes Gold). The album featuring these collaborative tracks was released at the end of 2025, marking Misko’s debut as a film composer. With a clearly recognizable style that blends
cutting-edge technical innovation with accessible musicality, Alexandr Misko’s compositions resonate with listeners across cultures. His music transcends cultural barriers and speaks a universal language wherever it is heard.
Forest Bailey
Forest crafts a unique combination of fingerstyle, tapping and percussive playing that is all his own. Drawing from various influences like Michael Hedges, Andy Mckee, Antoine Dufour, Scale
The Summit, Led Zeppelin, Chon, and Covet, each song is a musical journey that further shows what two hands and a guitar can accomplish. He underscores these sonic adventures with an
exciting, welcoming and humorous stage presence that exudes every ounce of passion he has for his craft. Although initially enamored by classic rock and heavy metal in his teenage years,
his curiosity led to a focus on solo acoustic guitar in 2015. Upon discovering the nuances that a steel string acoustic guitar can create, he quickly found the home for his compositions. These
joyful and adventurous music experiments have led him to performing both nationally and internationally, from California to North Carolina, All across Canada and even to Australia. The
year 2018 saw the debut release of Forest’s debut instrumental album, “Let The Clouds Pass.” The years 2018-2019 had Forest Zigzagging across the USA in a fully independent national
tour, over 40 concerts in 26 states, 70,000 miles in a station wagon loaded with his guitars and a dream. 2023 was the year of doing the “Nashville thing”. While he never acquired cowboy boots,
he further cut his teeth on all genres from Rock, Country and Pop, performing hundreds of popular songs and running across bar tops. Ultimately, it was not the true path of this original
artist and he relocated back home to the West Coast USA where he could continue exploring his own musical style.
In 2025, Forest was invited to open a sold out 26 date run of coast to coast tour of Canada with guitar legend Alex Misko.
Forest has been invited to perform with other fingerstyle acoustic musicians such as Adrian Bellue, Christie Lenee, Van Larkins, Mark Kroos, Kat Gruvs and Janet Noguera. His songs
“Midnight Picnic” and “Daybreak” have been featured on the Candyrat Records YouTube channel.
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