RICHARD GILEWITZ
youtu.be/Ppyjdu_K0Wg?si=ZTeEUXJksW_8PKEPyoutu.be/Ppyjdu_K0Wg?si=ZTeEUXJksW_8PKEP "I actually wanted to be a drummer.” Richard will tell you. “Five minutes after my folks heard that news, they bought me a guitar.” Lucky for the rest of us, Richard quickly found a teacher, discovered John Fahey and Leo Kottke (to whom he mailed his broken fingernail), and most importantly, his father loved the music. Richard’s innate musical gift was quickly apparent, demonstrated by his having composed a song so lyrical and inspiring only 4 years after picking up that first guitar, that his hero Kottke recorded the final portion as “Echoing Gilewitz” on the A Shout Toward Noon album.
Richard is a fingerstyle master, there are none better. He came in right behind Joni Mitchell in a ranking of best fingerstyle guitarists…ever. If she could only hear his rendition of Both Sides Now! What truly sets him apart are the breadth of his musical choices and inspirations (Bach to Jefferson Airplane anyone?) and the emotional tone he elicits from every piece, regardless of the clip at which a tune is played. He has perfected the art of treating each note as an individual member in a society of notes. One CD reviewer stated that, “…he knows how to leave space for the music to breathe”…just try creating that kind of ambience when your hair rises off your head during a tune like Jack Fig. Of course it isn’t just the music. Have you wondered if flies have necks? Or heard a story (and then a song) about the smallest penguins in the world vomiting en masse under the floorboards above which Richard was performing? Even near death experiences are given the Gilewitz treatment after a friend envisioned becoming a robot in the next life; thus was born Richard’s tune “Mr. Sputnik.” Richard entertains as only Richard can, with a unique combination of spellbinding fingerstyle mastery and hilarious commentary on life, the universe, and everything in between. For over 40 years, Richard has been recognized worldwide as an unparalleled performer with a quirky take on everything around him. Alongside his international performances, Richard is a sought after instructor, teaching master classes at Sweetwater and at the acclaimed Interlochen Acoustic Guitar Retreat, giving private lessons locally and to an international following on Zoom, and leading groups of beginning and advanced players at his Gillacamps. Come on out for a great show. While we are certain you will have a good laugh with Richard, we look forward even moreso to bringing his fingerstyle mastery to the Lake County Folk Club. CONCERT OPENER: TBA
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