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Steve Baughman, Paul Kotapish, Scott Nygaard

Saturday, September 13, 8:30 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

Two of the area’s premiere guitarists – Steve Baughman, a fingerstylist who plays in alternate tunings and leans towards a Celtic muse, and Scott Nygaard, a flat-picker who’s been immersed in bluegrass (and jazz . . .) for years – tonight combine with the incomparably sweet mandolinist Paul Kotapish. They’ll be playing in solo, duo and trio combinations for performances of a range of music – and the level of musicianship will surprise and delight, guaranteed! Steve has solo CDs and one with Robin Bullock to his credit and is represented on the Solid Air recording, “Clawhammer Guitar”; Scott has two solo CDs with Rounder and has recorded with Laurie Lewis, Tim O’Brien and the O’Boys, Darol Anger and others, and performs with the classical group Anonymous Four; Paul records with Hillbillies from Mars, Celtic fiddler Kevin Burke, and co-founded Wake The Dead, Three of our favorite musicians here for an entire evening with only their creativity to set the boundaries – what’s not to like?

 

Richard Smith

Friday, October 24, 8:30 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

If you’re interested in finger-style guitar, you’ll want to know Richard’s playing. When Richard was eleven, the legendary Chet Atkins asked him onstage during a performance in London in front of an audience of a thousand – and he stunned the audience and Chet alike with his incredible mastery of Chet’s songs. Now at thirty-one Richard showcases a repertoire spanning an incredible range of musical 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, and Lenny Breau.  He is universally admired by the best of the best. And we’re thrilled to get a chance to hear him here at the shop. 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

 

Alec Stone Sweet

Saturday, November 8, 8:30 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

Alec is the foremost representative of clawhammer guitar – a translation of an old banjo technique to the guitar.  It involves striking the strings with thumb and one finger and relies on the player’s touch and timing to breathe life into old-time and Celtic melodies. Alec is a virtuoso; there is no one whose touch, timing and ‘feel’ for this music is greater. That being said, Alec’s playing serves the tradition and the music itself. He is an incomparable exponent of old fiddle tunes, old Celtic and European folk melodies, and Appalachian traditional music. You can also find his playing on two Solid Air recordings: “Memory and Praise: Acoustic Guitar Solos” and “Tumblin’ Gap” Clawhammer Guitar Solos.” We are delighted to have him – his playing is at the highest level – it is truly “world-class”, and it would be a shame for you to miss him.

 

On “Memory and Praise”:

 

“As beautiful a solo guitar record as I have ever heard.” – Eric Schoenberg

 

On “Tumblin’ Gap”:

 

“Entrancing, the rhythmic sense and phrasing are spot on.  Compulsory listening for guitar fans . . .” – Acoustic Guitar Magazine

 

“This record would serve to explain to the uninitiated just why we care so much about these old melodies, about just what a tune is really about.” - The Old Time Herald

 

Eric & Suzy Thompson, CD Release!

Thursday, December 4, 8:00 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

If you’re a Bay area music lover, you know Eric and Suzy from a number of top-flight musical groups. Together, though, there is beautiful music and the kind of creative communication that can only develop when great talent meets exceptional intuition. That’s why we’re so excited about their new CD, Dream Shadows, which is a mix of country blues, old time music, and early Cajun music. So come out tonight to enjoy the CD release concert. We’ll hear plenty of Eric's flatpicking (on guitar, cuatro and mandolin), noteworthy for its purity of tone, speed, and soulfulness, and Suzy’s powerful blues singing, award-winning fiddling, and Cajun accordion playing. American traditional music has its standard-bearers & none better than Eric & Suzy!

 

About “Old as Dirt”: "What a mesmerizing blend of the old and the new! Ancient primeval tones played with a modern precision; tough, gritty vocals; sparkling instrumentation creativity and a bouncing, buoyant groove that just doesn't quit.” – Dave Briggs, WPLN-FM, Nashville

 

Dale Miller

Saturday, January 10, 8:30 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20 at the door.

 

Dale’s been one of the finger-style guitar standard-bearers for more than thirty years. His playing has been captured on records from 1975 (like his Kicking Mule best-selling Fingerpicking Rags and Other Delights) right up to this year’s CD, Time Goes By. He’s also recorded an overdubbed version of jazz standards called “Both of Me” where he plays slide guitar over a fingerstyle background.  Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine called it “charming.” And charm combined with talent and musical wit is what we expect tonight from Dale, who is ramping up his performing schedule. Please join us as we reaffirm the tradition of fine finger-style guitarists like Dale, Eric, Duck Baker and others, who were involved in the Seventies with Kicking Mule.

 

“’Time Goes By’ is both a thorough trip through American music history and a fine illustration of how to communicate with subtlety and understatement rather than volume and effects."
-- Ron Wynn, The Nashville City Paper 

 

On “Azzuro Verdi: Opera Arias for Solo Blues Guitar”: "Miller's combination of classical and new acoustic guitar inserts lots of zest into compositions by Verdi and Mozart. . . . will fit snuggly in the CD rack between Pierre Bensusan and Segovia."
-- Sing Out!

 

Mike Dowling

Friday, January 23, 8:30 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

Mike is possessed of an old musical soul, which explains how he can pull transcendent tunes and licks from deep in his musical bag of American roots guitar styles. It’s as if he were a traditional Piedmont-style fingerpicker and swing jazz legend, all wrapped into one. He also sings and his feeling and phrasing make the songs his own. Relaxed and down-to-earth, Mike makes it all good fun. From bottleneck blues on a well-worn National to elegant swing interpretations that find a groove Ella Fitzgerald would love, Mike can do it all. He’s an esteemed old friend, and he will be your friend, too.

 

”One of the finest guitar players there is, anywhere.” – Vassar Clements

 

“His strongest suit in a hand that includes versatility, musical intelligence and a

  good ear for material is his ability to communicate. . . he injects feeling into every

  word and note." -- Hit List, Acoustic Guitar

 

Laurence Juber

Thursday, February 5, 8:00 p.m.

$30. in advance, $35. at the door.

 

Laurence plays here each year to a sold-out house, repeating his triumph from our 20^th Anniversary concert. It’s hard to say what we like most about LJ’s playing – his beautiful phrasing, the powerful energy behind the creative arrangements, or simply his superb technique. LJ truly has it all. From “Little Wing” to “It’s Only A Paper Moon” to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” his playing is gripping and masterful. Picked by Paul McCartney to play lead guitar for Wings, nothing he has done since is a lesser achievement. He has more than a dozen solo guitar recordings. Recently, he won a Grammy for his piece on “Pink Guitar – The Music of Henry Mancini.” He also has a solo recording of the songs of Harold Arlen, “I’ve Got The World On Six Strings” and a new CD, “PCH” based on a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, where he is joined by Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel and others. This show will sell out, so please call in advance for tickets.  Then plan on being amazed when you get here . . . 

 

“His playing is just short of sleight of hand and, like all magicians, he makes it seem effortless." – San Francisco
Chronicle

 

Steve James

Thursday, February 19, 8:00 p.m.

$15. in advance, $20. at the door.

 

Steve, a bottleneck guitar master, has been busy touring as a solo artist and with his frequent duet partner, Del Rey.  Recently, he’s recorded with Maria Muldaur, performed on “A Prairie Home Companion,” and been on a Grammy-nominated tribute to Mississippi Fred McDowell. His own CDs have garnered much critical praise, and his concerts here – solo and with Del these last two years – have been superlative. Steve also writes and sings with breadth and great taste – he can hit you hard with the blues or swing you softly with poetry. Steve has toured  the world with his resonators and mandolin playing festivals, concerts and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland and the U.K., continental Europe, Australia, Brazil and China. His blues-and-roots playing runs deep; his luminous style is his own. Let him shine his light on you.

 

"Flawless fingerpicking and slide guitar paired with an idiosyncratic writing style and an exuberant performance persona make Steve James come on like a full band.” -- Dirty Linen Magazine

 

 

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