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Where do you live? Do you play all over the world?

Where do you live?

Since 1997 I’ve lived in Seattle-that’s the Upper Left of the United States. Culturally  I’m West Coast all the way.

Do you play all over the world?

I love to travel and I like to travel with a purpose-I want to bring something worthwhile to where I’m going, so I travel to play music. So far I’ve played shows in Mexico, Cuba, France, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and all over the grand continent of Australia. Here’s a few gigs:

  • Chicago Blues Festival
  • Merlefest North Carolina
  • 
Pt. Fairy Folk Festival-Australia
  • 
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
  • 
In Guitar Switzerland
  • 
Vancouver Folk Festival Canada
  • Port Townsend Blues Festival Wa
  • 
San Francisco Blues Festival
  • 
Kerrville Folk Festival-Texas
  • 
Musikfest Bethlehem Pensylvania
  • 
Sanremo Blues San Remo Italy
  • Roots Festival San Diego Ca
  • Strawberry Music Fest Yosemite Ca
  • 
Woodford Festival-Australia
  • Concert Halls
:Great American Music Hall S.F. Ca
  • 
The Freight & Salvage Berkeley Ca
  • 
Theatre 1900 Turnhout, Belgium
  • The Three Weeds-Sydney Australia
  • The Catalyst Santa Cruz Ca
  • 
The Tractor Seattle Wa
  • 
The Palms Davis Ca
  • 
The Belly Up Solana Beach Ca
  • The Fret House Covina Ca

Workshops:

  • Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop
  • Puget Sound Guitar Workshop
  • 
Augusta Heritage Blues Week
  • 
California Coast Music Camp
  • 
Fur Peace Ranch

Blues & Folk Societies

  • The Perth Blues Society-Australia
  • The Havana Blues Society-Cuba
  • 
Encuentro de Dos Tradiciones-Mexico
  • 
Vancouver Heritage Soc. BC Canada
  • 
Seattle Folklore Society Wa
  • Women’s Cultural Exch. Spokane Wa
  • 
Menominee Friends of Folk
  •  
Allegro Concerts Marquette Mi

What kind of guitar/uke is that?

The instruments I use most are made by Ron Phillips, a brilliant independent craftsman from Northern California.

Ron Phillips at work
Ron Phillips at work on a ukulele.

I met him in the early ’90s and asked him if he could make a parlor sized resonator with access to the 14th fret. I think he’s close to perfecting the design! They are made of alloy 752 (nickle silver) and he spins the cones from a Secret Alloy (which he didn’t tell me, since I can’t keep a secret). They sound sweet rather than brassy, they have plenty of volume but not too much clang. Visit his website at www.metalgitar.com

ukulele
Cuter than a basket of kittens-and ten times as loud!
Ron Phillips early parlor sized resonator
The first of three parlor sized single cones
The other instruments I use are a Kamaka 8 string Li’liu ukulele. I used it on “Why Say No? with the Yes Yes Boys and on At The Ukeshack #1 with Matt Weiner. 
If you see me playing an electric guitar, it’s a hollow body Supro run through a 1960s Airline amplifier. Soooo smooth! I borrow it from my friend and fellow guitar nerd Lani Kurnik.

Del Rey with Supro guitar
Coffee break with a good friend-nobody loves you like your guitar!

Holed up for the winter in Seattle

It’s cold in Seattle so I’m staying in reading Mary Midgely on Darwin and Breakfast of Champions for the Bushwick Book Club (the show is on January 11).

http://www.strangertickets.com/events/12301604/the-bushwick-book-club-seattle-presents-kurt-vonneguts-breakfast-of-champions