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.

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.

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.