July 2008
New Solo CD Recorded
Tony was recently at the Compass Records studio in Nashville to record a solo CD featuring instruments from the collection of Dream Guitars founder Paul Heumiller. The adventure is documented here .To be left in a room with $175,000 worth of guitars is a bit of a kid in a candy store situation but they were put to good use; 14 solo tracks each on a different guitar and a finale featuring all 14 overdubbed. Hopefully we will have a September release.
July 2008
Upcoming Interviews:
Tony has an extensive feature in the upcoming issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine . During the California tour with Maeve Donnelly earlier in the year he talked to flatpicking maestro Scott Nygaard about music, techniques, arranging traditional tunes and, of course, the new CD.
He is also to be featured in the German magazine AKUSTIK GITARRE
May 2008
Tony back at Kaufman’s Kamp
Tony has been added to the fingerstyle guitar roster at the award winning Steve Kaufman Acoustic Kamp in Tennessee. With both fingerstyle and flatpicking assignments since 2002 this will be his 8th Kamp in 6 years. This is the premier acoustic music learning experience in the US- check the the concert page for details.
Recording new album
Tony will be in Nashville later in May to record his first solo album in 7 years. This time it will be completely solo; the only guests will be a roomful of beautiful new guitars shipped for the occasion from Paul Heumiller’s shop in North Carolina. Paul is the owner of Dream Guitars, a business he founded with Martin Simpson, which has grown into one on the leading dealerships for new high-end guitars in the world. This will be a celebration of the state of guitar building today- the feeling is that however beautiful and inspiring the vintage stuff is, the Golden Age is right now. The plan is to record one piece on each guitar to showcase the great instruments and the range of Tony’s musical interests.
Release is scheduled for October.
March 2008
Maeve Donnelly CD released
Recorded in Ireland last year and co-produced by Tony, Maeve Donnelly's second solo CD features some of the Co. Galway fiddler's favourite traditional tunes with more recent compositions by Paddy Fahey,
Ed Reavy, Paddy Kelley as well as some surprises (in surprising keys). Other than some great bass from the ubiquitous James Blenerhasset on a couple of sets it's just fiddle and guitar having fun with some great tunes.
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In April Tony will be doing some gigs with Maeve in Ireland to promote the CD with a launch party/ concert at Cois na hAbhna, Ennis Co. Clare.
September 2007
NEW DVD!
Guitar Artistry of
Tony McManus
May 2007
The Elora Guitar Seminar is sold out.
Many thanks to all who sent enquiries. The
level of interest was such that it’ll definitely be repeated in
’08.
Tony is in New York City June 2nd to film a performance/ interview DVD with Stefan Grossman. This will be released later in the year on Stefan’s “Guitar Perspectives” series.
Peerie Willie Johnson
Sad to report the passing at the age of 86 of Shetland
guitar legend Peerie Willie Johnson- a quick summary of a life well lived
found at: www.shetland-music.com/prominent_artists/artistes/peerie_willie_johnson
and an appreciation by Tony’s friend Davie Gardiner link
Tony first met him in Edinburgh in 1993 and was delighted to be asked
to play at the festival in his honour only last November- “He was
in great form that weekend and that’s how I’ll remember him”
The summer schedule is pretty much organised with a return to Kamp Kaufman in Maryville, TN then onto Alasdair Fraser’s Sierra Camp in California. Tony will also be at the Chet Atkins festival in Nashville, Swannanoa Guitar Week, NC and the Edmonton Folk Festival. Check out the concerts page for more details.
Tony recently took delivery of an amazing sitar guitar from legendary Toronto luthier Linda Manzer. It has been down to Nashville for the concert with the NCO and over the UK for a couple of concerts there. See the guitar page soon for some pictures.
Tony’s buddies Michael Friedman and Pierre Bensusan are doing some workshops that should be worth checking out. www.guitarworkshopplus.com , www.myspace.com/offdrive
May 2006
Men of Steel Canadian dates announced. Summer festival appearances
in Montreal and Mission, BC. Tony will be teaching guitar at the first
Sierra Fiddle Camp organised by occasional duo partner Alasdair Fraser.
See concert
page for details.
Tony McManus is interviewed in the last issue of Canadian magazine
Penguin Eggs and in the next issue
of guitar magazine Frets.
Tony At Celtic
Connections
Glasgow hosts the worlds biggest Celtic music festival each January and
as always Tony is featured in a variety of events. This year he will be
appearing with Men of Steel, with Cathy Ann MacPhee and he has been invited
to play with the legendary Breton pipe band Bagad Kemper with other Scottish
guests Phil Cunningham, Fred Morrison and Donald Shaw. This should be
a spectacular show in the Auditorium of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
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New Album Release:
Singing Sands
duo project with Alain Genty
Singing Sands released in USA, Canada and Asia by Compass Records in Nashville(www.compassrecords.com).The duo CD with Alain Genty, reccorded in Paris last December, becomes the second album of Tony's to be released by the coolest independent label in the States. Please direct media enquiries to David Haley at Compass- david@compassrecords.com 615 320 7672.
Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Volumes 1 & 2 released on DVD by Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop (www.guitarvideos.com).
These are the video lessons recorded back in 2000 and come with complete transcribed tablature and standard notation both in PDF and booklet form.
February
Tony and Alain tour Australia with festival appearances in Melbourne, Port Fairy, Canberra, Blue Mountains and Fairbridge; and concert appearances in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle, Hobart and elsewhere- see the concert page for details.
June- Tony is to teach at the award winning Steve Kaufman Acoustic Kamps for the fourth year running. The Kamp has regularly been voted as the best of its type in North America by the readers of Acoustic Guitar magazine and is "an absolute blast; great teachers, great students and a wonderful environment to develop as a player". Check www.flatpik.com for details.
