Bizzare and Brilliant, Guitar Genius – Leo Kottke

“I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.” – Leo Kottke.

If this world renowned musician says his performance chops surpass his musical ones then you are going to be in for a treat.

This Thursday, January 6th at 7:30 pm, Kottke will take the stage of the MACC’s Castle Theater to play a melange of tunes spanning his 40 year career.

Kottke is a musician’s musician. A guy who has overcome near deafness, carpal tunnel in his fingers, and still managed to garner the respect of world famous musicians.

He has recorded, toured and generally just hung around a slew of top notch characters like Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, Mike Gordon (from Phish), and Rickie Lee Jones, Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, Kris Kristofferson, and many others.

A bizarrely comical character on stage, he has spent four decades touring and recording as a guitar virtuoso. He is famous for his unique style of fingerpicking which he developed to compensate for carpal tunnel injuries that were a result of his previously aggressive picking style.

Credited with inventing a whole new language for the 6- and 12-string guitar, Kottke has developed a worldwide fan club for both his guitar mastery and his unusual voice. In one self-deprecating example of his comical stage presence, Kottke remarked that his uniquely expressive baritone voice sounds like “geese farts on a muggy day.”

During his set, Kottke intersperses funny and bizarre monologues with instrumental songs as well as standard songs.

A critic remarked that “Kottke is so good he doesn’t even need a band. His right hand should be preserved for science.”

His intricate finger picking technique draws from blues, jazz, and folk music.

He will showcase his instrumental mastery in this one man show at the Castle Theater. You can purchase tickets at the box office, or ahead of time by going to www.mauiarts.org

Tickets are $30, $40, $50.