Premier Guitar Festivals is set for its Boston debut.
Pack up your old guitars and head East! Premier Guitar Festivals hit New England from September 14-16, as they bring you the first ever installment of their regional guitar festivals: Premier Guitar Festivals – Boston. You won’t want to miss out on the show as the organizers, along with sponsors Korg, Marshall, Vox and Bose, will be going all out to make sure that this first show sets the bar high for future events. With a wealth of entertainment, workshops, clinics and exhibits, the show is a must-attend for anyone in the New England area.
Entertainment
Premier Guitar Festivals’ incredible lineup of entertainment will take the stage Saturday, September 15. The show features an assemblage of world-renowned artists, as Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night brings its wealth of guitar talent to the Premier Guitar Festival stage. Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night has been entertaining audiences with a show featuring a revolving cast of today’s great guitarists for nearly 15 years, and is bringing Robben Ford, Johnny A., Monte Montgomery, Trey Alexander, Frank Vignola, Mimi Fox, Bruce Arnold, and Stu Hamm, along with Muriel herself to Saturday night’s festivities. There will also be entertainment Sunday afternoon featuring Gerry Beaudoin, J. Geills and Duke Robbilard.
Headlining the show is Robben Ford, a familiar name – and even more familiar sound – to most serious guitarists. Robben was raised in a family of musicians, and inspired at an early age by blues greats like Michael Bloomfield. His unbelievable guitar chops are self-taught. He flawlessly blends jazz and blues in an adaptable style that has earned him four Grammy nominations and has allowed him to play alongside a great array of musicians from Miles Davis to Michael McDonald.
Each of these great players will also be on hand to share their knowledge at clinics and participate in meet and greets and autograph signings before hopping on stage to rock the night away.
Clinics and Workshops
Meanwhile, instructors from TrueFire. com, many of whom are veterans of PG’s Premier Clinic, will be holding clinics throughout the event in all categories of playing – blues, rock, jazz, and fingerstyle – plus a variety of gear demos, jam sessions and meet and greets.
Rock guitarists looking to add some jazz elements can turn to Mimi Fox’s Jazz Anatomy clinics. Accomplished fingerstyle players looking for a real challenge can test themselves with Muriel Anderson’s Advanced Fingerstyle clinic. For a shot of blues to any style, David Hamburger’s Blues Alchemy delivers the goods. Even if a guitarist’s interests lie elsewhere, there are 11 additional courses that will have most needs covered. Other TrueFire artists teaching clinics and performing throughout the festival include Brad Carlton, Jeff Scheetz and Jeff McErlain.
Attendees won’t be limited to theory and instructional clinics, however, there will also be a variety of workshops to check out.
Festival organizers are planning restoration workshops for everyone who has a broken Strat or two in their closet, valuation workshops for everyone who’s had a mysterious guitar passed down from a distant relative, and effects workshops for the hordes of pedal junkies out there.
Exhibitions
As if there is not already enough activity to fill all 16 hours of the festival, the main attraction remains the array of exhibitors. With endless opportunities to buy and sell axes, attendees will certainly be able to find their dream guitar at a dream price or sell their old axe for a nice chunk of change. Check out the sidebar for a partial list of exhibitors already signed up.
The festival will be held at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. General passes and all-access passes are available in advance for a discount and also may be purchased at the door. Portions of the proceeds from the show will be donated to Boston-area charity, Music Drives Us (musicdrivesus.com).
| IN THE BOOTHS |
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| Whether you want to try out a guitar not found in your average music store, check out some boutique effects up close, or browse for your new axe, Premier Guitar Festivals – Boston’s exhibition floor will surely have a little bit of everything. In addition to rubbing elbows with some of the greatest guitarists on the planet, attendees will be able to peruse a wide range of amazing gear. Exhibits from industry leaders include Korg, Marshall, Vox, Bose as well as great new gear from newer manufacturers like Boulder Creek and Becker Guitars. Attendees can visit Skinner Auctions, and there will be great vintage collections to feast your eyes on. All of the new effects and accessories will be there to check out, too. |
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For a real-time updated list of exhibitors, point your browser to www.premierguitarfestivals.com/show/Boston/booth.aspx,
then mouse over the booths to see the wide variety of products and services that will be offered. |