Bryan Bowers (Special Event)

Autoharps, heartfelt songs, and moreMaster of the Autoharp, singer of gospel hymns and heartfelt songs, lover of fine acoustics: the last time Bryan Bowers played for us at Glen Echo Town Hall and heard the excellent acoustics of the hall, and us singing along, he asked when he could return to play for us in that same setting. We've gotten the Town Hall for him again, another unplugged concert in a hall that was made for his music.Bryan Bowers is the master of the Autoharp. An amateur may look at the autoharp, once described as a "zither with an automatic transmission," and think of it as a simple chording device, but in Bryan Bowers's capable hands, the instrument rings with complex counterpoint and an almost infinite range of tonal variations and expression.Bryan brings an encyclopedic repertoire of gospel songs and hymn tunes, an immense batch of traditional songs, and a collection of heartfelt songs written by the best troubadors of the day (and some by himself) . His friendly voice and charismatic personality will lead us, but be prepared to sing along on lots of choruses.Bryan is a native of southern Virginia. As a child, he would tag along with the field workers and gandy dancers and learned to sing old call-and-answer songs. Bryan recalls, "The music I heard while working in the fields was mesmerizing. And, I'd see the gandy dancers coming down the tracks, setting the rails and getting their ties straight. You've heard that song `Whup Boys, Can't you line 'em?, Chack a lack.' Whup Boys, can't you line 'em? was the call the leader would sing. Chack a lack was the bounce-back of the hammer after falling on the pin. I just thought that music was something that everyone did. It was years later that I realized what I'd been raised around." The call-and-response form of the work song is one of Bryan's favorite ways to get an audience to sing.Bryan found a new way of playing the humble Autoharp and caught the attention of every other player of that instrument, and he launched a generation of new players. Part of the process is tuning some of the strings to unison with others to create a richer, more resonant chord sound. More of it has to do with the creative fire to get more music out of one instrument. If masterful playing weren't enough, Bryan also is a fine showman, a clever, dynamic solo artist who pulls his audiences into his performances.At Bryan's request, we're going to do this concert in an intimate hall, unamplified, without a sound system to come between a performer and an audience. Come to the Glen Echo Town Hall. Admission is $10 for FSGW members, $14 for non-members. As a thank-you for the use of the hall, residents of the Town of Glen Echo will be entitled to free admission."To call Bryan Bowers' performance simply a 'concert' would be inadequate if not inaccurate

-Deseret News "...This man makes more music from an Autoharp than you can imagine from a 12-string guitar and a harpsichord combined. He has more stage presence and charisma than any stage performer in recent memory."

-The Washington Times