Thursday, October 29, 2009

David Gillis Featued Performer November 2



We have the good fortune to have Dave Gillis as our featured performer for the November 2 meeting. Please learn more about David on his web site at: www.davidgillis.com or his Myspace site at: www.myspace.com/davidgillis


"David Gillis sings with an original voice, grounded in the best North American songwriting traditions. He's also a killer guitar player (I mean that in a good way, of course!). His CD is a treat to listen to, well recorded and featuring some great playing. Real, heartfelt music."
Don Ross – CandyRat Records, Recording Artist

“Absolutely masterful examples of playing and arranging for solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar.”
David Barrett – Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Association

“He demonstrates many facets of his extraordinary talent as a guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer. This is especially evident in his wonderfully bittersweet melodies woven with poignant lyrical observations and inspirations...”
Diane Wells – Washington Blues Society

"Breezy virtuosity as a solo guitarist”.... The material is so catchy ... and Gillis's presentation is so amiable.
Robert Doerschuk – Winner of two ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in music journalism

October 24 Guitar Workshop with Tony Cox and Ryan Leblanc



We had a great guitar workshop last Saturday (Oct. 24) with Tony Cox and Ryan Leblanc.

To eager participants, Ryan demonstrated his unusual and unique approach to both his percussive guitar and claw-hammer banjo styles.

Tony wowed the group with his amazing fingerstyle techniques infused with African rhythms. He later got everyone playing and jamming out on some South African grooves.

Later that evening we were treated to a great concert where we could listen and watch them do their thing. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the workshop and attending the concert. You make these type of events possible, and thanks to Tony and Ryan for stopping by Hamilton and visiting with us! If you would like to see some photos of the workshop please go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/guitarassociation/GuitarWorkshop#

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

October 19 meeting with Tony Cox & Ryan Leblanc


Hey Guitar players, hope you have all recovered from a great Thanksgiving weekend! The next meeting of the Hamilton Guitar Association is Monday, October 19 at 7:30. This week is a bit different as we  have 2 featured performers; Tony Cox and Ryan Leblanc.

Tony and Ryan are touring in the area and will also be back in Hamilton on Saturday the 24th for a concert and Guitar workshop along with myself and D Jay Moons on Saturday Oct 24.


Here's the details:
South  African guitarist Tony Cox has honed and  developed a personal compositional and instrumental style that is not bound by any classification. Uniquely beautiful, his music is a mosaic that incorporates   evocative and infectious rhythms, delicate patterns and varying styles of his homeland.  He demonstrates a complete mastery of the  'finger-style' of playing.  www.myspace.com/tonycoxmusic 



New Brunswick Solo Instrumentalist Ryan Leblanc combines organic melody lines with spellbinding rhythms to produce a completely unique musical experience with a World Beat Flavour. He plays Guitar, Harmonica and Percussion all at the same time. www.sonicbids.com/ryanleblanc

Guitar Workshop:
You may in interested in attending a workshop with both Tony and Ryan. It will be held in the after noon before the concert. Please register  for the workshop in advance, as space is limited. The contact info and costs are listed below.

The Erskine Concert Series and the Hamilton Guitar Association Presents:
Together Live!
Tony Cox, Ryan Leblanc and Shawn Trotter with D Jay Moons.
Saturday, October 24 @ 7:00PM
Erskine Presbyterian Church
19 Pearl Street North,  Hamilton

Tickets are available at the door or by calling 905-979-0155. 

All workshop participants must register in advance before Friday October 23 at 9:00PM.
$10-Concert Only
$20-Concert and Workshop
$15-Workshop Only


This is going to be a fantastic evening of amazing music at a deal of a price!  This is one you really don't want to miss out on.

See you Monday!

Shawn

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Win Tickets to see Shawn Brush



Shawn Brush (a.k.a the Krooked Cowboy) has generously donated 2 tickets for his October 9 show at Hamilton Place to the HGA. In order to win these tickets you must participate in the open stage portion of the October 5 meeting between 7:30-9:30. All you need to do is play the most Krooked Cowboy song you’ve got. This can be an old Cowboy song, Country tune, even some Cowboy Poetry, or best of all, a Shawn Brush tune. Please visit Shawn at: www.shawnbrush.com

So get those Cowboy Songs and Stories together, tune up those guitars and we’ll see you Monday night!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Ewan Dobson Featured Performer October 5


Ewan Dobson will be our featured performer on October 5. Ewan is this years winner  of the 2009 Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition at the Canadian Guitar Festival and placed 3rd at the prestigious Walnut Valley Festival. 

Ewan Dobson has established himself as one of Canada’s most brilliant and exhilarating young guitarists, having won first prize in nearly every single competition across the country. His impressive list of credentials include winning the Grand Prizes from both the Burlington Rotary Fall Music Festival and the Pickering Rotary Music Festival where he emerged victorious, after having competed against the top prize winners of all of the other disciplines. His other accolades include receiving the highly coveted D’Addario Foundation Prize awarded to the top guitarist of the Peel Music Festival and the Kiwanis Music Festival Guitar Scholarship having been distinguished as the top guitarist of the entire competition. In addition to dominating the provincial competition circuit, Dobson has made his mark nationally having represented Ontario twice at the National Finals of the prestigious Canadian Music Competitions (CMC) and having been awarded the top prize in guitar. Dobson’s honours have also included introducing the guitar for the very first time in the long history of the Ontario Music Festivals Association’s (OMFA) Provincial and National Finals, which incidentally, he also managed to win the first prize.
 
 Ewan Dobson has been under the tutelage of the world-renowned guitarist Dr. Alvin Tung whom he has worked with for over six years. This has been very a fruitful relationship having resulted in being garnered with many distinctions and honours across Canada. “Ewan Dobson is a young musician who demonstrates a level of virtuosity and refinement that is both rare and far beyond his years. His intense artistry will no doubt leave audiences spell-bound everywhere he performs” – Dr. Alvin Tung

In addition to his hectic competition history, Dobson has performed at many prestigious venues across Ontario including Hammerson Hall in Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre, the George Weston Recital Hall in the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts and his recital debut in the Royal Bank Theatre of the Living Arts Centre under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga to name but a few. A versatile artist, he has been featured on the television program Rogers Daytime performing live for the viewing audience and also having graced the stages of the Toronto & the York Region Finger-style Guitar Associations performing his original contemporary acoustic music. Recent corporate functions that he has performed at include Ice Conference 2008 at the Carlu and a Magnotta Winery fundraiser in support of Lymes Disease. Upcoming engagements include another appearance at the Magnotta Winery and the highly anticipated release of his debut album consisting of all his own original contemporary finger-style compositions.

The development of Ewan Dobson into the artist that he is today has been an eclectic journey to say the least. After humble beginnings with his first electric guitar playing heavy metal and hard rock music to the structured discipline of his classical training, Dobson has expanded his repertoire to include bluegrass, Canadian folk and contemporary finger-style music. The culmination of all of these diverse influences has fuelled his creativity to compose his own unique brand of music and resulted in creating the captivating artist that he is today. Ewan Dobson is a young artist of exceptional technical virtuosity and refined artistry that will enthral audiences wherever he performs.

http://www.myspace.com/ewanguitar





Monday, September 21, 2009

Harold Dickert part of the Milton Gallery Tour.



Our good friend Harold Dickert is not only a great guitarist but also an amazing luthier. Harold and his workshop are going to be open to the public as part of the Fine Arts Society of Milton Gallery Tour. Harold's shop is on display along with 40 other artists in the Milton area. The dates for the tours are Saturday October 3 & Sunday October 4 between the hours of 10:00 - 5:00 each day.


Please click here to go to his web site for more information.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

David Barrett at the HGA September 21


The wonderful guitarist/Multi instrumentalist David Barrett will be our featured Performer at the September 21 meeting.

Please learn more about David by visiting him on his web site.