MICHAEL GUTHRIE BLUES / FOLK / SONGWRITER "A world class performer." Peter Jordan, North Coast Folk Festival "Michael Guthrie is a wonderful blend of bluesman, folksinger, storyteller, singer-songwriter, and he also plays songs by the many friends he has made in years of performing." Dick Weissman, Portland Folk Music Society Up-coming shows for 2010 include: Haller Lake Concert Series, March 13th -- Three Rivers Folklore Society, April 9th -- Langham Theatre, May 1st. Michael Guthrie plays a variety of string instruments most of which he has repaired himself, like his vintage 1914 Knutsen Hawaiian Lap Steel Guitar. People from Kaslo, BC to Astoria, Oregon are delighted by this historic instrument. Besides playing acoustic lap steel guitar he also plays; electric blues lap steel, guit-jo (guitar-banjo), banjolin (mandolin-banjo), rebab, and acoustic steel string guitars. This makes for a dynamic program of varied sounds and styles. GuthriesÕ influences are: Folk, Blues, Jazz and Old Time. He incorporates these styles into his own blend of music. He can do a show in one genre like blues, or he can mix it up. Guthrie is by no means afraid to step out of the box, he has a deep respect for the music he listened to growing up. His folk influnces started in Ô63 when some friends, the ÒPill Palace Porch PickersÓ, showed him some cords to a Kingston Trio song. Before long Guthrie was taking Flamenco lessons from the spanish teacher at his high school, and of course he was deeply influenced by his mother Mamie (McClain) Guthrie who used to sing songs while she did chores around the house. While living in Canada, Guthrie spent time with a couple great acoustic blues guitar players; Ken Hamm and Rick Bockner, he managed to get some lessons in the old blues styles. Guthrie ended up back in the LA area (where he grew up) in Ô81 and met Michael McClellan who showed him some of the old blues lap steel guitar styles that McClellan learned from old 78Õs. In the spirit of - the folk process - Guthrie is a true folk musician playing songs he has learned from folks along the way, some of which have spanned many generations. moorafa@mindspring.com www.moorafa.com 206-522-7691