David Grier

Friday, September 10, 8 p.m.

$20 advance, $25 at the door 

You know that David’s guitar playing shines – he’s often compared to Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Norman Blake and Clarence White.  His dad, who played with Bill Monroe, led him into bluegrass, but the love of the music he’s earned on his own. Three-time Guitarist of the Year  (International Bluegrass Music Association), he’s been an Acoustic Guitar Magazine Artist of the Decade as well. He plays music other than bluegrass, so tonight expect an exhibition of startling competency and feeling that touches other genres as well. We’re delighted to have him in the shop!

“Grier is an astounding guitar talent . . .” – Flatpick Guitar Magazine

“Grier’s timing is instinctive and his technique is flawless.”– No Depression Magazine

 

Bill Mize

Friday, September 24, 8 p.m.

$15 advance, $20 at the door 

Bill’s an exceptional guitarist, a National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition winner and Grammy-Award winner. Recently he was featured in the Ken Burns documentary “The National Parks, Our Best Idea.” His original music has been described as ranging from delicate Appalachian highland melodies to greasy Memphis grooves. He’ll take different musical lines and weave them together into an orchestral whole, and with Bill, nothing could be simpler. 

"To call Mize a guitar maestro would be understating his abilities to transport listeners beyond what most guitarists could only hope to accomplish." – Dirty Linen Magazine           

“He combines form and substance to create music so sublime and accessible I was almost sighing out loud." – Acoustic Guitar Magazine

 

John Miller & John Reischman

Thursday, October 7, 8 p.m.

$15 advance, $20 at the door

Some players keep a low profile but are known in musicians’ circles for their surpassing excellence. Once a member of the legendary Tony Rice Unit, mandolinist John Reischman currently leads his own bluegrass group and was nominated for  Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy for his efforts. John Miller has been called “one of the most exciting and innovative guitarists performing today." (Pickin') He’s also noted that we might be “suffering from a severe case of melodic deprivation in America today.” With their superb duets Miller and Reischman  will take us through Celtic, Latin, jazz and choro-flavored originals and bring us melodies to cherish. 

"Mandolinist Reischman, in particular, possesses phenomenal tone ... guitarist Miller matches him note for note with slippery leads and sophisticated chords . . ." – Vancouver’s Georgia Straight

“John Reischman expresses himself with the sumptuous tone and grace we’ve come to expect from his playing.” – Empty Sea

John is “. . . one of the great unsung heroes of contemporary mandolin playing." – David Grisman

 

Richard Smith

Thursday, October 21, 8 p.m.

$15 advance, $20 at the door

If you like finger-style guitar, you’ll want to know Richard. When Richard was eleven, the legendary Chet Atkins asked him onstage during a performance in London – and he stunned the audience of a thousand with his incredible mastery of Chet’s songs. Now in his thirties Richard’s repertoire spans a range of styles from country, bluegrass, mainstream jazz, modern pop and rock, to classical guitar. Did we mention he was the 2001 National Fingerstyle Champion? There seems to be nothing he can’t get under his fingers – Sousa marches, the styles of Les Paul, Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins & Jerry Reed. He is universally admired by the best of the best. And his shows here in the last few years have been outstanding. Check out his fan club below:

“The most amazing guy I know on the guitar. He can play anything I know, only better.” – Chet Atkins

“If you like my playing, you should hear Richard Smith.” – Tommy Emmanuel

“He is one of the world’s greatest guitarists.” – Muriel Anderson

 

Mimi Fox

Saturday, November 13, 8 p.m.

$15 advance, $20 at the door 

Solo jazz guitar places huge demands on the player—for every lyrical impulse there must also be perfect rhythmic and chordal support, all from two hands on six strings. Improvisation, then, might require “jaw-dropping technique and [a] headlong sense of swing,” two attributes accorded Mimi by the San Francisco Chronicle. She has also been voted Downbeat Magazine’s “Rising Star of the Year” three times – in 2003, ‘04 & ‘05. Mimi, who has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival and Yoshi’s, to name a couple of local venues, places importance on playing for folks who aren’t particularly “jazz heads” – so expect music that doesn’t hide either its vulnerability or its beauty. She’ll draw you in and, with songs like the Beatle’s “She’s Leaving Home,” and “The Saints Go Marching In,” make you want to stay.  Needless to say, we’re thrilled to have Mimi here tonight. 

She plays with tremendous fire. She can do pretty much anything she wants on the guitar.
- Joe Pass

Mimi’s “exceptional technical and melodic gifts are surpassed only by her emotional investment in every note that flows from her." – Steve Vai

 

Kathy & Carol  

in December

Please reserve tickets by calling the shop: (415) 789-0846