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Mountain Acoustics Luthier Invitational: Calling All Musicians, Luthiers, and Listeners to a Weekend Devoted to the Strings May 25 – 26

By Tzar Wilkerson

 From guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, and fiddles to banjos, harps, cellos, and dulcimers, Burnsville NC’s upcoming Luthier Invitational promises to present a variety of instruments of expert craft, as well as some masterful playing. Held at the Burnsville Town Center, tickets to the Invitational are $10 at the door, or $15 for both days. On May 25th-26th, participants can attend workshops by 30 of the finest luthiers from all over the country, with topics ranging from guitar maintenance to an introduction to the ukulele (individual workshop registrations range from $10 to $25). The Invitational begins on Saturday at 9am and lasts until 4:30pm, then on Sunday from 10am until the it comes to a close at 3:30pm.

Kaki King

Hosted by Tryon’s master luthier, Jay Lichty, the event will consist of a Silent Auction, a guitar raffle for C.F. Morrison’s “Knotty Lad”, and what is bound to be a stunning performance by the virtuosic fingerstyle guitarist, Kaki King. King’s performance will be held at the Parkway Playhouse, where opening acts Ron & Minnie Powell, then Nick Gonnering, will also be performing on their guitars. A unique and innovative acoustic guitarist, Kaki King has worked with the likes of The Foo Fighters, Timbaland, and The Mountain Goats, and has released 6 critically acclaimed albums, in a variety of styles, over the last decade. Tickets to the performance are $35, and doors open at 7 pm.

On Friday, May 24th, be sure to drop by Homeplace Brewery from 7 to 9 pm for the Luthier Jam, a free event that is open to the public. Luthiers in attendance will include Jay Lichty, Ken Bailey, Chris Capozzoli, Richie Crowder, Gil Draper, Ken & Virginia Miller, Peter Mosco, and Peter Robson.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better way to spend your Memorial Day weekend than learning from and listening to the skilled luthiers and musicians at the Mountain Acoustics Luthier Invitational.

The guitar raffle for C.F. Morrison’s “Knotty Lad” pictured here