With an approach that is authentic and understated, Maxwell plays with the warmth and dexterity of someone who has loved the blues over a lifetime. Indeed, his education began as a teenager after seeing B.B. King play a set in Chicago in 1971. At Chicago’s historic Old Town School of Folk Music he took lessons from a young Johnny Long, himself a student of Homesick James. When Maxwell left for college in St. Louis, he originally studied classical, but grew restless and eventually fronted a blues trio.
He counts himself lucky enough to have mingled with blues legends Tommy Bankhead and Henry Townsend, with whom he later shared the stage and formed a friendship. He’s been drawn to slide since the beginning. “It increases that conversational aspect between the instrument and the voice,” he says.

That lineage is evident in the conversations he’s still having. In his capable hands, classics are given a deep bow and a quick wink, at once subtle and surprising. Likewise, his originals feel familiar to the genre, at home on a back-roads front porch or a downtown speakeasy.

His style is grounded and focused yet delivered with an ease and a lightness. He says the nice thing about getting older is, “Whatever you do, if you’ve been doing for most of your life, you reach a proficiency level that’s really enjoyable.” That comfort and skill is obvious whether he’s playing with a full band, as a duo, or just his caramel smooth voice and his silver Dobro. One gets the feeling he’d be equally at home with a symphony or a jug band.

johngreyhoundmaxwell.com

Gottfried David Gfrerer is widely regarded as one of the best slide guitarists in Europe. His distinctive sound brings together archaic elements and virtuosic mastery, mixing roots music from the US and Europe with modern trends. When he’s not writing unique songs Gottfried also builds his own resonator guitars.

His trademark guitar sound, also known as ‘Gfrerer sound’ in the music scene, has brought him success in Austria and abroad, as well as an invitation to teach at the London Music School. Despite, or because of, his broad spectrum of styles and unmistakable way of playing, Gottfried’s songs form a diverse whole that is a must-hear for music lovers. www.gottfriedgfrerer.at