Brian Dewan

A strikingly independent and original talent, Brian Dewan blends whimsy tradition and a subversive sense of humor into his many projects, which include (and sometimes combine) music, artwork, and furniture-making. A resident of Brooklyn's Williamsburg section, Dewan plays an orchestra's worth of quirky instruments, including the autoharp, accordion, Moog, and theremin -- as well as guitar and organ -- but his signature instrument is the electric zither, which he built in 1989 from pieces of an electric guitar and a harpsichord. With its eight humbucker pickups and 88 strings, ...