Steve Lowenthal discusses "Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey, American Guitarist"

Ease into the Turf Club’s Old Familiar Chime with a discussion of a guitar legend.

John Fahey is to the solo acoustic guitar what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric: the man whom all subsequent musicians had to listen to. Fahey made more than 40 albums between 1959 and his death in 2001, most of them featuring only his solo steel-string guitar. He fused elements of folk, blues, and experimental composition, taking familiar American sounds and recontextualizing them as something entirely new.

Journalist Steve Lowenthal has spent years researching Fahey's life and music, talking with his producers, his friends, his peers, his wives, his business partners, and many others. He describes Fahey's battles with stage fright, alcohol, and prescription pills; how he ended up homeless and mentally unbalanced; and how, despite his troubles, he managed to found a record label that won Grammys and remains critically revered.

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This event is part of Old Familiar Chime, a celebration of guitar music happening September 19, 2014, at the Turf Club in Saint Paul.  While several micro-styles will be heard, most performers have strong ties to “American Primitive” playing, a strain of folk guitar attributed to John Fahey & his ilk.  Higher profile players (Glenn Jones, Michael Chapman) will appear alongside up-and-comers (Steve Gunn, Alexander Turnquist) and the old guard (Spider John) for a wonderful night of music, sponsored by KFAI. Details are at www.turfclub.net.

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Steve Lowenthal started and ran the music magazine Swingset; his writing has also been published in Fader, Spin, Vice, and the Village Voice. He ran the record label Plastic for five years and currently runs the VDSQ label, which specializes in solo instrumental acoustic guitar music. He lives in New York City.