Vancouver acoustic guitarist and avowed Wishbone Ash devotee Don Alder will appear at NAMM’s All Star Guitar Night this Saturday in Anaheim, California.
I’ve been spreading the word about this stunning player since he won Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Superstar competition back in September of 2010. I interviewed him in his Kitsilano stomping ground a couple years ago when he was hosting an open stage at Rowan’s Roof on Fourth Avenue.
Looks like Alder is still rubbing shoulders with some of the finest guitarists around, as he’ll be joined at the NAAM (National Association of Music Merchants) show this weekend by the likes of Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather, and Stanley Jordan.
That’s a pretty stellar lineup, although not quite as impressive as the All Star Guitar Night he attended at Nashville’s Ryman Theatre in the summer of 2008. That gig saw him in the company of twangmaster Duane Eddy, Elvis Presley picker James Burton, jazz-rock ace Larry Carlton, and Aussie virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel. (Local guitar freaks take note: Emmanuel plays the Vancouver Playhouse May 15).
If you haven’t checked Alder out yet, keep an eye out for his upcoming album Circuitous, which is set for release this spring.