Acoustic music to warm up a few cold nights
Former Flathead Valley musicians Tim Torgerson and Larry Pattis have returned to the area to collaborate on "Winter Guitar," a series of concerts of original and seasonal music.
Concerts are at the Kandahar Lodge on The Big Mountain at 8 p.m. on Dec. 16, at the KM Theater in Kalispell at 8 p.m. on Dec. 17, and the Swan Lake Community Center at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18.
Pattis moved to Whitefish in 1991 and immediately became a popular figure around the Flathead, both for his performances and his concert productions bringing many well-known acoustic artists to the valley. Pattis now lives in the Eugene, Ore. area, and records and tours on a regular basis.
Pattis merges folk and classical styles in his instrumental guitar music. While devoted to the emotive side of the instrument, Pattis demonstrates considerable technical prowess. His musical vision is a blending of beauty with technique, bringing forth the many voices that the steel-string guitar can manifest.
He has recorded two CDs of fingerstyle guitar music - "Random Chance" and, his most recent, "Hands of Time."
His music is filled with strong melodic content and rich harmonic counterpoint, supported by moving, evocative rhythms.
Pattis is scheduled to play the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in January.
Torgerson, born and raised in Whitefish, had been a staple of the Flathead music scene for many years, before moving to Las Vegas in 1994. He is a singer/songwriter whose eclectic guitar sound is achieved by his use of alternate tunings, standard and custom-designed capos, his percussive harmonic "tapping" techniques, and electronic gear including looping devices.
Torgerson's music is a reflection of a wide variety of musical styles, thoughtful impressions, indelible feelings and memorable moments. His main influences include progressive art rock, acoustic music, jazz and anything that moves him.
Torgerson's latest CD is a 14-song album called "The Invisible Man," a collaboration with a trio.
Tickets are $10 for all shows, and available at the following locations: Artistic Touch, 209 Central Ave., Whitefish and the Kandahar Lodge for the Dec. 16 concert; at Sunshine Tapes & CDs in Kalispell Center Mall for the Dec. 17 concert; and at Laughing Horse Lodge and the Swan Lake Trading Post for the Dec. 18 concert.
Special discounted room rates are available at the Kandahar Lodge for the evening of Dec. 16. Phone 862-6098 for room reservations. Tickets are not included with room reservations.