PETER LANG

Artist Information

Biography

"PETER LANG IS ONE OF THE WORLDS PREEMINENT 6 AND 12 STRING FINGER-PICKING GUITAR PLAYERS...He cites the work of such country bluesmen as Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake, Rev. Gary Davis, and Mississippi John Hurt as the principal influences on his dizzying finger-picking. His newest CD explores and revels in the DNA of American music. He has returned in the new century with magnificent playing that mines the roots of his original inspiration. Peter talks about the music, saying: 'Historians say blues was full blown by 1890 with centuries of African-American oral history behind it the whole world loves it and the lyrics seem ageless -- sex and power, betrayal and redemption. It was the southern working man's pop music, what made Elvis and Dylan and Springsteen possible, also made Tupac and Nirvana, for that matter.' Chuckling, he adds, 'the incredible musicians who'll be with me at the Dakota know early blues was serious red-hot pop.' The band will include Bad Plus and Happy Apple drum great, Dave King. . . "/ THE DAKOTA JAZZ CLUB April 2008


PETER LANG along with the other Takoma guitarists are considered to be founders of modern American Finger-style Guitar. Lang was part of a handful of guitarists who would bring the instrument to the stage and redefine it as a serious concert instrument.

Like his labelmates at Takoma, John Fahey and Leo Kottke, Peter Lang used the techniques and vocabulary of country blues guitarists to create his own compositions in a variety of alternate tunings. Lang made a name as a guitarist and composer of exceptional ability and originality. His bright sound, driving rhythm, and whimsical compositional sense were already well-defined by the time of his first record, which was made in 1972.

Lang toured, and recorded as one of the top acoustic players of his day. In the 70's he was in good company, having recorded or performed with Ry Cooder, John Fahey, Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, John Hartford, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Emmylou Harris, Leo Kottke, Freddie King, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, John Hammond, Keith Jarrett, Phoebe Snow, Maria Muldaur, The Yellowjackets, Robben Ford, and host of others.

Peter is back touring after a twenty year hiatus.

WHAT THE PRESS HAVE SAID:

A TRUE MASTER- Lang is one of the finest acoustic finger-style players in the nation. . .His songs are complex, mercurial, lyrical, and fluid. THE VILLAGE VOICE

FLAT OUT GORGEOUS AND POWERFULLY EVOCATIVE-
His reemergence has come with not a hint of rust.TIME OUT NEW YORK

FRAGILE FINGER-PICKING, VICIOUS SLIDE WORK, AND AN UNCANNY ABILITY TO MIX HIS VIRTUOSIC TECHNIQUE WITH TENDERNESS AND SOUL - GUITAR PLALYER MAGAZINE

SIMPLY GENIUS AT WORK- SING OUT

ABSOLUTELY GROUNDBREAKING- One of a handful of acoustic guitarists who defined new American styles in the 1960s and '70s. Poetic, elegant, and deeply moving. . .To say that Lang's Guitar is literate is to far understate the case. This is guitar music that matters because it is played not only with technical acumen and a sense of history, but with an aesthetic that celebrates and pushes the tradition in new directions." ALL MUSIC GUIDE / Critics Pick



"Testament is beautifully recorded,capturing
every nuance of Lang's peerless playing."
DIRTY LINEN

"Testament is a revelatory piece of work."
BLUES REVUE

"Lang may be known as one of the world's
preeminent solo instrumentalists, but as his new
CD Testament reveals, his approach can also
propel a mean blues jam."
GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE

"Testament (is) a masterful exploration of early
blues full of the assurance and insight of
a career definer." CITY PAGES

"Another offering that I can only call perfect."
CHORD MAGAZINE

"Testament is kind of a PBS special for CD."
TWIN CITIES DAILY PLANET

Lang's credits include: * Fourteen record albums (including one with Leo Kottke and John Fahey). * Grammy Nomination, 1975 (Lycurgus) * Guitar Player Magazine 1974 - Readers Poll, " Best New Guitarist" category * Minnesota Music Awards, "Best Guitarist" 1981, 1982, 1988 * Co-author of the book 20th Century Masters of Finger-Style Guitar, 1982, Stropes Editions, Ltd.

In the links below you will find videos and additional recorded music of Peter Lang. YouTube.com has many videos which give a depth and breadth of Lang's work. Explore, and enjoy!

Contact Info:612-929-2363

Instrumentation

Six and Twelve String Guitar,National Steel Guitar, Mandolin, and Dobro

Discography

Thing at the Nursery Room Window, Takoma Records 1972

Fahey Lang Kottke , Takoma Records , 1974

Lycurgus, Flying Fish, 1976

Prime Cuts, Waterhouse Records, 1977

Back to the Wall, Waterhouse Records,1978

American Stock,Aspen Records, 1985

Dharma Blues, Horus Records, 2002

Lycurgus (Re-release w/ 5 bonus tracks) 2003 Hourus Records

Prime Cuts(Re-release w/ 4 bonus tracks)2003 Horus Records

Peter Lang / Guitar 2004 Horus Records

John Fahey and Friends. / 2 tracks 2006 Slackertone

The Revenge of Blind Joe Death/The John Fahey Tribute Album 2006

Live at Charlotte's Web (2Cd and DVD) 2007

Testament, Horus Records,2008

Links

• MySpace
• Music Videos at Youtube.com
• Additional Music and information

Audio

• Flames Along The Monongahela / LYCURGUS
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• My Dear Mary Anne / AMERICAN STOCK
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• Brownsville Road/ TESTAMENT
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• Colored Aristocracy/ TESTAMENT
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• Guabi Guabi/ TESTAMENT
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• Delia / TESTAMENT
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• Little Cairo / GUITAR
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• All Through My Life/ GUITAR
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• Going Down The China Road/ BACK TO THE WALL
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• Stackolee Live
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Video

Live at Charlotte's Web

Photo Gallery

Press

• GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE/April 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  Peter Lang may be known as one of the world’s preeminent 6- and 12-string fingerstyle solo instrumen...Peter Lang may be known as one of the world’s preeminent 6- and 12-string fingerstyle solo instrumentalists, but as his new CD Testament [Horus] reveals, his approach can also propel a mean blues jam. The album finds Lang, along with Bad Plus drummer Dave King, bassist Steve Larkin, and harmonica player/album producer Michael Tanner exploring and reinvigorating traditional blues and folk material stretching back to the turn of the 19th Century. . .Testament reflects Lang’s interests prior to his renown as a member of the legendary Takoma Records fingerstyle guitar trinity alongside Leo Kottke and the late John Fahey. To this day, John Fahey, Peter Lang & Leo Kottke, a 1974 release with four tunes from each player, remains one of the biggest-selling fingerstyle albums ever. Lang also released his classic debut record, The Thing at the Nursery Room Window, on the label in 1973.

• THE STAR TRIBUNE April 11, 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  Longtime Minneapolis guitar picker Peter Lang is best known for his wow-inducing acoustic virtuosity...Longtime Minneapolis guitar picker Peter Lang is best known for his wow-inducing acoustic virtuosity that warrants putting him in the same sentence with John Fahey and Leo Kottke. (Heck, the three of them made an unforgettable album together in 1974.)
  
  On this year's "Testament," Lang demonstrates a new persona -- singing bluesman. Joined by drummer Dave King, bassist Steve Larkin and harmonica player/producer Michael Tanner, Lang travels down the roads of his youth. He dusts off such classics as "Stackolee" and "Delia" as well as the African folk song "Guabi Guabi" with equal elan.

• JUNE TOP 5 PICS [+ Show ]
  

  Peter Lang: Testament (Horus Records): I do go on about Peter Lang… but yet here he is with another ...Peter Lang: Testament (Horus Records): I do go on about Peter Lang… but yet here he is with another offering, that I can only call “perfect”. With guest musicians like Dave King (Bad Plus) performing percussion in an understated, but masterful way and John Fahey (one track, from a 1979 KTCA appearance with Peter). Testament is a tribute / reworking of the earliest traditional Blues tunes he started out performing. The thing that never fails to stun me about Peter is how he makes every note he plays work.

• CITY PAGES April, 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  Peter Lang is one of those guys whose facility on guitar helped establish the Twin Cities as a hotbe...Peter Lang is one of those guys whose facility on guitar helped establish the Twin Cities as a hotbed of acoustic fingerpickers back in the '70s. In the last few years, he re-emerged after a 20-year hiatus from the music biz, his agility and supple touch on the strings intact. This week he releases his 10th album, Testament (Horus), a masterful exploration of early blues full of the assurance and insight of a career definer. Not only is it a showcase for Lang's sparkling guitar work, it's a neat bit of scholarship, with Lang's erudite liner notes and adept arrangements that put blues nuggets like "Stackolee" and "Nobody's Business Like My Own" into historic context. Lang has never sounded better as a vocalist, displaying a nicely textured instrument that nails the blues phrasing.

• DIRTY LINEN May 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  Lang's gift lies in expression. He projects an emotional force in his playing more similar to Beetho...Lang's gift lies in expression. He projects an emotional force in his playing more similar to Beethoven or Tchaikovsky than to anything mainstream today. When he talks, it is with a wisdom about his craft that can only be attained only through living and learning. It is these experiences, and his ability to express them, that have brought Lang back into public consciousness.

• MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY Nov 2006 [+ Show ]
  

  Guitar Gods Converge: In difference venues, Kottke and Lang revive ’70s acoustic moment. In 197...Guitar Gods Converge: In difference venues, Kottke and Lang revive ’70s acoustic moment.
  
  In 1974, Leo Kottke and Peter Lang appeared together, along with John Fahey, on an untitled album now known as the Trinity Record. Released on Fahey's Takoma Records, the three-way LP showcased the technical and expressive ability of the era's three most powerful solo acoustic guitar players. For me, the record has come to represent an amazing period right before the decline of a musical movement,one that was grounded in blues and ragtime guitar technique but at the same time had an unprecedented freedom of imagination that encouraged more ambitious and unconventional approaches to composition. . .
  . . .Entitled simply Guitar, Lang's most recent release is staggering. There is less of an emphasis on speed than there is on previous releases, like The Thing at the Nursery Room Window, and his playing is much softer than ever before, sounding like he's switched from traditional steel fingerpicks to exclusively using his fingernails.
  
  As rock and roll has taught us, certain extraordinary musicians seem get better into their middle age. Peter Lang is a perfect case in point, unveiling a new, super-refined sensibility for this album. It seems that all the time that he took off has sweetened his approach to the instrument, making him one of the most delicate players to touch steel strings nowadays. I have never heard someone play slide with such a long, painful delay as Lang does on Brick House Blues.And Witness to the Messenger, his tribute to Fahey, is the very definition of transcendent.
  
  This week finds both of these guitarists passing through the Peninsula on their respective tours. Kottke will play the acoustically immaculate Sunset Center in Carmel, and I can think of no better place to hear him play. Lang appears at the much more modest Monterey Live, where I saw him play on his tour last year. The room has a good sound system and acoustics, and his performance promises to make up in intimacy what it lacks in grandeur. The last time I saw Lang there was one of the subtlest solo acoustic performances I have ever seen.

• AMG (All Music Guide) [+ Show ]
  

  "While Minnesota guitarist Peter Lang may not be as well-known as Leo Kottke, or even the late John ..."While Minnesota guitarist Peter Lang may not be as well-known as Leo Kottke, or even the late John Fahey, he is nonetheless one of a handful of acoustic guitarists who defined new American styles in the 1960s and '70s. . . . This is guitar music that matters because it is played not only with technical acumen and a sense of history, but with an aesthetic that celebrates and pushes the tradition in new directions."     

• THE VILLAGE VOICE / May 2004 [+ Show ]
  

  Lang is one of the finest acoustic finger-style players in the nation-a true master. His songs are ...Lang is one of the finest acoustic finger-style players in the nation-a true master. His songs are complex, mercurial, lyrical, and fluid. . . A rare must-see show for fans of finger-style guitar .

• CROOKED RAIN-SCOTLAND'S MUSIC [+ Show ]
  

  We hitched a ride out to the festival club for the sole intention of late night drinking, but we wer...We hitched a ride out to the festival club for the sole intention of late night drinking, but we were also entertained by a yank called Peter Lang. When Peter took the stage I thought ‘what is this?’ A senior citizen dressed in leisure wear and a fair few stone overweight, Peter produced some of the most delicate yet intense guitar playing I’ve heard. His gruff singing voice was fantastic too; especially on ‘None of Your Damn Business’ that to the pleb’s ear (mine) was recognised as the ‘Crisp ‘n Dry’ advert. Peter was a real surprise, a real delight and a great way to round off the night.

• SING OUT [+ Show ]
  

  That melodically rich engrossing magic is still all over the place even though it’s been a quarter o...That melodically rich engrossing magic is still all over the place even though it’s been a quarter of a century since his last studio sessions. Nothing pretentious, streamlined, or new-agey here. Simply genius at work as a guitar master delivers his best album to date." Oct/Nov 2002

Setlist

Performance sets vary but general guidelines are 80% original material from recorded albums , 20 % traditional Country and Blues music from varied sources.

Concert performances are a minimum of two 45 minute sets with an intermission.

Club performances will be no more than two hours total, broken into multiple sets.

Basic Requirements

Calendar