On Sunday night I walked into the concert hall eagerly anticipating the show. I was not disappointed. Audience members were treated to a stellar performance of original bluegrass and Americana Music. Tony Furtado is a two time national champion on the American banjo. He also plays the slide guitar and is a singer/songwriter. He was joined on stage by two-time national fiddle champion Luke Price. Price has been a fiddle teacher and has played with several Portland based bands.
The Humbrews concert hall is on the short list of favorite venues to take in the best music Humboldt has to offer. Only 35 to 45 people attended the event. It was competing against the opening premiere of a documentary about Judi Bari and Darryl Cheney, community activist and that event was sold to capacity two nights in a row. I have often found that Sunday night events in Arcata are intimate and filled with devout music fans of our community. Typically we are catching a great act taking a day of rest before cruising the 101 to greater venues in large metropolitan areas. The intimate experience this affords is unsurpassed.
The men riveted the audience as they sang in perfect silky harmony spinning tales of life, love, and woe. I felt like I was taken on a emotional journey through the night. Fingers and bow seemed to flow like magic over the strings. Each song building on the next, the music was pure artistry. At one point in the night Fertado said "You are all so polite, We have played alot of rowdy roadhouses on this tour" Feeling the community vibe, Furtado and Price came off the stage for the last two songs. We were asked us to pull our chairs closer. We were encouraged to join with them on the songs chorus. Audience members were eager to do so and remarkably we sounded like the choir for these amazing troubadours of blue grass and Americana music.
Furtado was born in Oakland, California. He studied art and music at Cal State Hayward. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon. He first picked up a banjo at 6 years old and never put it down. Luke is originally from Idaho and also resides in Portland, Oregon. The two are on tour and have a marathon of St Paddy day events planned at establishments in their home town. To date Furtado has close to one dozen recorded albums. Furtado easily reminds me of Ry Cooder and other seasoned blue grass and Americana musicians I have come to appreciate on my musical journey.
For booking this duo can be found at http://www.tonyfurtado.com/tfcontact.htm
For more about Tony Check out his web site at www.tonyfurtado.com
Tour dates can be found at: http://www.tonyfurtado.com/tftour.htm
A bio and detailed review of Tony Furtado can be found on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Furtado
To listen to his music go to:http://music.yahoo.com/tony-furtado/ or http://www.myspace.com/tonyfurtadomusic#!
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