Although Swedish heavy metal guitar shredder Yngwie Malmsteen was the first to adapt Niccolo Paganini's violin compositions to guitar, German guitarist Bernd Steidl prefers to play Paganini on the acoustic guitar. Shortly after attending Los Angeles' Musician's Institute of Technology, Steidl signed to Shrapnel Records in the early '90s, issuing his debut, Psycho Acoustic Overture, in 1991. He didn't follow it up until ten years later when his sophomore release, Paganiniana, saw the light of day. In addition to his recording career, Steidl also scores music for German motion pictures. ~ Greg Prato