Slide & Steel Guitars at Centrum

Orville Johnson says "Hello"

Hey from your Slide & Steel Artistic Director...

This is Orville Johnson and I'm stopping by the blog to remind you what an exciting program we've got coming up in the Slide & Steel arena. I'm psyched about the fine group of instructors coming to the Dobro Intensive on July 10-13. I tried to gather great players who are also great teachers and who can illustrate the diversity of styles and genres that the dobro can slide between.

A lot of folks think bluegrass when they think dobro and we have a master to cover that subject in Michael Witcher. Michael comes from a family of fine bluegrass musicians and he carries on that tradition while, at the same time, breaking new ground with his group Missy Raines and the New Hip. They have a new EP just released. Check it out!   Stop by Michael's website for info about his music AND his beautiful photography.

Mike Neer will be giving us a taste of 30s style swing-jazz-Hawaiian slide reminiscent of Sol Hoopii, King Benny Nawahi, and Bob Dunn. He's a master of this slide guitar style, having played with New York City's premier 30s swing band the Moonlighters. I'll let him give you more details about what he'll be teaching on his MySpace page.

Don Rooke is a unique player and composer who, with his group the Henrys, has issued several CDs filled with haunting and rollicking music built around his slide sound interacting with powerful rhythm section and trumpet, pump organ, chordette, and other musical appliances. He uses a tuning he developed, based on a G tuning, and will share his ideas on creativity, composition, and getting the music from your brain to the guitar. He's also, strangely enough, another fine photographer. (Note to self: ask Mike Neer if he's a photographer too. We could have some workshops on that!) Check out some tunes and video on his Myspace page.

The format will be similar to the Bottleneck Slide Intensive in January with opportunities to take classes from all the instructors and get some one-on-one time as well. I'll be there all weekend and, while I'm not teaching a formal class, I'll be available to help out people on the more beginnerish (is that a word?) side of slide. Space is limited so if you're thinking about coming, stop thinking and sign up!

Dobro Show!

We've got a special dobro show happening at 7:30 pm, on July 12 at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater.

General Admission Seats are $16; 18 & under free. Follow this link to purchase tickets or call Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117.

Performers

Equally at home in myriad styles of music, Mike Neer made a name for himself playing Hawaiian steel guitar with the Moonlighters. Neer uses his knowledge of jazz and old-time Hawaiian music to great advantage by fusing them together, much in the same way that the early masters like Sol Hoopii and Benny Nawahi did. Mike still considers himself primarily a guitarist, although these days he’s returned to his roots of electric guitar.

Orville Johnson, Centrum's Artistic Director of Slide and Steel, came up in the St. Louis music scene, where he participated in a wide variety of blues, bluegrass, and American roots music. He moved to Seattle in 1978, where he was a founding member of the folk/rock group the Dynamic Logs. Johnson has played on over one hundred albums and released four recordings.

Don Rooke is often referred to as one of the top five acoustic slide players on the planet. The mastermind behind the Canadian rock band the Henrys, Rooke pushes the sonic and harmonic envelopes in an acoustic fashion. And as a musical composer, he’s in a class by himself.

Mike Witcher is a resonator guitarist who boasts a long list of credits both as a session player and as a sideman. He has performed with many artists, including Dolly Parton, Laurie Lewis, Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Tyler Hilton, and many others. His playing offers a strong contemporary sensibility balanced with a deep respect for tradition.

Tricks, Licks, and Techiques for Dobro

[Orville Johnson playing guitar]

For those of you dobro players ready to take your abilities to the next level, Centrum's Artistic Director for Slide and Steel, Orville Johnson, will be leading an intensive workshop in the dobro at Fort Worden July 10-13, 2008. Joined by Mike Neer, Mike Witcher, and Don Rooke, the gathering combines morning and afternoon workshops with access to dobro masters found almost nowhere else.

Registration is available here, as well as by calling Centrum at 360.385.3102, x114.

Kicking It in the Music Business: The Music of Mike Neer

Mike Neer, who has been kicking it in the music business for more than twenty years, will be teaching at Centrum's Dobro Intensive, July 10-13, 2008. 

Equally at home in myriad styles of music, Mike made a name for himself playing Hawaiian steel guitar with The Moonlighters from 2004 through 2007. “I fell in love with the instrument years ago, but after a few failed attempts to play it, I kind of gave up. It wasn’t until I found the Moonlighters and my National Tricone that I had a purpose for playing other than my own enjoyment. I now had a voice.”

Mike used his knowledge of jazz and old-time Hawaiian music to great advantage by fusing them together, much in the same way that the early masters like Sol Hoopii and Benny Nawahi did. “I like to approach the instrument fresh every time I play, and I like to improvise most of my parts. It’s just the way I’ve always been. I guess I have a pretty small attention span, but that’s resulted in me having better ears.”

WANTED: Bloggers

When we redesigned this site last year, we had a vision that at some point, we could invite community members to post/write for the site, sharing their passion with other members of the Centrum community.

That time is NOW!

If you are passionate about slide and steel guitars, and would like to share your knowledge and a sense of discovery with others, we want YOU. Please contact Keven Elliff at keven at centrum dot org for more information.

Don Rooke to Lead Dobro Workshop

Don Rooke is often referred to as one of the top five acoustic slide players on the planet. The mastermind behind the Canadian rock band the Henrys, Rooke pushes the sonic and harmonic envelopes in an acoustic fashion. And as a musical composer, he’s in a class by himself.

Rooke, who will be a faculty member at the special Dobro Intensive, this July 10-13 at Fort Worden State Park, is also known as one of the best guitar teachers in the business.

The Henrys are a Toronto-based, nearly instrumental quartet. Their music features the sound of an antique slide guitar called a Kona (and other slide guitars), along with the usual stuff-conch shell, quarter-tone trumpet, chordette, drums played with a root, sonar zombie, steel drums.

Good Seats Still Available for David Lindley Concert

David Lindley, whose electro-acoustic performance effortlessly combines American folk, blues, and bluegrass traditions with elements from African, Arabic, Asian, Celtic, Malagasy, and Turkish musical sources, will give an intimate concert at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater on Friday, February 8, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available here, as well as by calling Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117.