2024 World Class
International Acoustic Music
Dinner Concerts
at SOhO 1221 State St.
in Downtown Santa Barbara
Joe Robinson
Sunday September 22, 2024
Music @ 7:30pm
A uniquely skilled musician, Joe Robinson is widely regarded as one of the world’s top fingerstyle soloists, improviser, composer and songwriter. His signature musical touch, tenor voice and ability to seamlessly blend these elements allows him to create a sound that is truly one-of-a-kind and defies classification within any particular genre.
Joe has released seven studio albums and built a large following through his livestream concerts and videos, and coaching 20,000+ online guitar students. He has garnered praise from some of the biggest names in the industry and has been featured in prestigious publications like the Washington Post and New York Times.
Born in rural Australia, Joe grew up in a farmhouse with his three siblings, where his parents raised cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, chickens, and even snakes. At just 13 years old, Joe won the Australian National Songwriting competition, and at 17, he took home the top prize on Australia’s Got Talent. By the time he turned 18, Joe had already performed over 1000 concerts, including earning first place at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles and moved to Nashville, where he spent the next decade collaborating with some of the city’s best studio musicians, songwriters and producers, including Tommy Emmanuel, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris.
“Joe is, of course, renowned for being a virtuoso guitarist. But after several listens to his latest offering (Borders), i’m of the opinion that as a singer and songwriter, he also belongs in a league with such mega-selling artists as Charlie Puth and Harry Styles. But don’t just take my word for it, get a copy of the album and see for yourself.”
-Grammy Award Winner Rodney Crowell
“It would be fair to say that guitar phenomenon, Joe Robinson, has little left to prove. Yet, he keeps moving the bar musically and artistically in virtually any direction his hybrid talent and sonic-soul leads him. Robinson doesn’t just dabble, he succumbs and embraces each style, demonstrating grace and fluidity in each he undertakes. I have to wonder if categories apply to his body of recorded fretwork.”
-Minor7th
“Real-time acoustic guitar solos, filled with so much springy counterpoint that sometimes it's hard to believe he's playing alone.”
-New York Times
"Breathtaking electric and acoustic guitar virtuosity"
-Guitar Player Magazine
"In a city of monster guitar players, Joe Robinson is a dragon slayer."
-Nashville Scene
Transatlantic Guitar Trio
Thursday September 26, 2024
Music @ 7:30
This extraordinary guitar trio features three very different members with very different backgrounds. Richard Smith is an International Fingerstyle Guitar champion from London England. He is a soloist and master of just about any and all guitar styles from Chet Atkins to Merle Travis to Jerry Reed to Scott Joplin and more! German Joscho Stephan is a true virtuoso, known the world over for his sensational Django Reinhardt "Gypsy Jazz" style. Joscho's guitar skills are so special you will be left breathless just watching him. The brilliant Rory Hoffman is a master of many instruments from guitar to keyboards, accordion, harmonica and all reed instruments. Rory has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry many times as a soloist and sideman to Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Mattea, Kacey Musgraves and more.
Since their very first live premier with us in 2019, they have pushed each other to new heights in which the sum is greater than the parts, and are guaranteed to be fabulous. These three diverse stylists have become so harmonious in the music they have created that audiences tend to cheer while watching "note play" bordering on the impossible! Combining jazz ballads, gypsy swing standards, a pinch of pop music and original compositions to create a broad repertoire, Transatlantic is stunningly authentic, and the finest guitar trio in the world… by far.
2024 Music Parties
at the Community Arts Workshop
Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan ~ Good Time Acoustic Blues
The Elderberries ~ Little Known Songs Old & New
Flying Fish / Rounder recording artists Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan have been bringing their unique blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags and good time music to widely diverse audiences for over 45 years.
Their live performances travel the world, and were the only musical act in America to play all four venues of the 1984 Olympic Games, Together and separately they have worked on countless film scores, TV soundtracks, commercials and session, and their eight duo albums have garnered critical acclaim throughout the world.At home wherever they go, Tom and Kenny with their blend of American roots styles are “American’s Good Time Blues Ambassadors.”
Sean and Dorie Hutchinson have been singing together since the 1970’s with Summer Peaches. Still bearing the fruits of music, and pending an upcoming album release, The Elderberries quartet with Jordan Bush and Jim Cutsinger bring smooth harmonies and a mix of eclectic instruments including tenor guitar, ukulele, lap steel and banjo that celebrate the works of little known but vibrant songwriters both old and new.
Leokane Pryor & Kimo West ~ Slack Key & Hula
John Lyle ~ Solo Acoustic Guitar
Born and raised in the mystical Mānoa valley on the island of O`ahu, Leokāne Pryor spent his youth gaining a love for the culture and music of the land of his birth, respect for his ‘ohana – embracing all the generations of his family – and preserving Hawai`i’s native environment and culture. He now lives in Santa Barbara, where he writes and plays music and shows his love of nature and Hawai`i through Project Ho`olono.
Kimo West is regarded as one of the world’s foremost “ki ho’alu” or Hawaiian “slack key” guitar artists. He is a 2021 Grammy Winner, 2008 winner of the Hawaii Music Awards and four-time Na Hoku Hanohano (the Hawaiian ‘Grammy’) nominee. He is also a two-time winner of the LA Treasures Award for his efforts in keeping this important acoustic guitar tradition alive. This warm and engaging fingerpicked guitar style has its roots in 1840’s Hawaii, when Mexican vaqueros first brought guitars to the Big Island of Hawaii.
John Lyle
Solo acoustic guitarist John Lyle instrumental compositions draw from a large musical palette of sounds that lure you in with their memorable and cinematic hooks.
Acoustic Music & the Guitar
"Acoustic music is the timeless sound of nature and resonating materials – wood, bone, gourd, gut and skin. It predates the spoken language of modern culture, crossing all borders and barriers. It speaks to great, universal truths of very personal, yet familiar stories. Those stories keep legacies alive, allow them to be shared, and create new ones going forward".
(Derek Johnson aka Musicalist)
Music is unparalleled in both its reflection of and impact on human culture, developing across time, place, religion and culture. It is the door to our souls, the balm for our spirit, an inspiration to feel deeply, our common language, and the heart of community.
Acoustic instruments were dictated by the flora and fauna of each area, evolving and cross fertilizing as people migrated across the world. The humble guitar is known for its enormous musical versatility across all cultures and genres. It is the voice of people to tell their stories, and attainable to everyone regardless of wealth or status.
"The guitar is a whole lot more than a guitar....
there's a whole attitude towards life wrapped up in it" (Charles Fox)
Upcoming 2025 Acoustic Music Concerts
Calum Graham
January 19, 2025
Brooks Robertson
2025
Tony McManus
May 4, 2025
Alberto Lombardi
November 1, 2025
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So Much Great Music!
It's been an honor & privilege to host live music
by over 100 of of the world’s great string (and more) players since 2016.
We are so fortunate to have such talent amongst us who have the
freedom of expression to do what they do.
Don't take it for granted ~ get out and enjoy it while you can;
the musicians and venues need you now more than ever.
Thanks for your support.
A Call 2 Peace
(with Federico Ramos,
Eduardo Del Signore,
Scarlet Rivera &
Ron Wagner)
Don Alder
Muriel Anderson
Paul Asbell
Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan
Adrian Bellue
PIerre Bensusan
Claude Bourbon
Trace Bundy
Clive Carroll
Michael Chapdelaine
Nick Charles
Chucumite
Craig D’Andrea
Alex DeGrassi
Diego Garcia (Twanguero)
Jerry Douglas
(with Maura O’Connell
& a huge band)
Antoine Dufour
Ken Emerson (w/ Kimo West)
Tommy Emmanuel
(with Richard Smith
& Brooks Robertson)
Vicki Genfan
Nina Gerber & Chris Webster
Teja Gerken & Doug Young
Goh
Calum Graham
Trevor Gordon Hall
Mark Hanson
The Hot Club of Nashville
(with Richard Smith,
Annie Sellick,
Pat Bergeson,
Aaron Till,
Charlie Chadwick &
Josh Hunt)
The Idiomatiques
(with Craig Sharmat,
George Quirin,
Kim Collins &
Frank Petrilli/
Brian Mann)
Claude LaFlamme
Christie Lenee
David Lindley
Michael Lorimer
John Lyle
Nick Johnson
J2B2
(with John Jorgenson,
Herb Pederson,
Patrick Sauber &
Mark Fain)
Laurence Juber
Justin King
Kaki King
Alberto Lombardi
Marley's Ghost
(with Jerry Fletcher,
Ed Littlefield Jr.,
Bob Nichols,
Mike Phelan,
Dan Wheetman &
Jon Wilcox)
Sean McGowan
Tony McManus
Maria Muldaur
(with John Jorgenson &
Simon Planting)
Kai Narezo
Kinloch Nelson
Nightbirds
George Quirin
Gareth Pearson
Abby Possner
Leokane Proyer
Donovan Raitt
Del Rey
Brooks Robertson
Joe Robinson
Jose Antonio Rodriguez
Sam ’n’ Ash
Richard Smith
Tim Sparks
Joscho Stephan Trio
(with Sven Jungbeck
& Volker Kamp)
Walter Strauss
Luca Stricagnoli
Kenny Sultan
Taimane
Sofia Talvik
The Transatlantic Trio
(with Richard Smith,
Joscho Stephan &
Rory Hoffman)
Hiroya Tsukamoto
Andres Vadin Project
(with Yosmel Montejo,
Diego Alvarez Muñoz,
Manuel Gutiérrez &
Jade Valdes)
Dani Vargas & Jenna Columbet
Carl Verheyen Acoustic Band
(with Dave Marotta
& John Mader)
Willie Watson
Kimo West
Andrew York
"The guitar can truly change the world...we've seen that in ministry and education;
it has affected international borders. It's a very dangerous tool." (Richard Hoover, with a smile)
Background image: Benedetto Guitars