Luca Stricagnoli & Domaine de la Citadelle Le Châtaignier

Luca Stricagnoli was born in 1991 in Varese, Italy. He showed natural talent on the guitar from a young age. He began studying classical guitar at ten but shortly after decided to quit. After a long layoff, he later picked up where he left off and taught himself new techniques, which he then perfected and developed his personal original style. Luca has won many talent shows and competitions. Today at the age of 22, Luca plays Serracini Guitars and has just released his debut album with Candyrat Records.

Check out Thunderstuck. As an enthusiastic AC/DC fan, I love this arrangement.

Thunderstruck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMPWfHqVj40

Last of the Mohicans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kbv1OpIpaA

Everybody wants to rule the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FmRkgok_5U

Starlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJiok_3B-JA

Airtap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A11p6-34ekg

Hunter’s moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-GSdQfOGbs

Braveheart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSCBKgY_5gs

The Future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMQVyGOZylg&index=4&list=PL0PHkYJ-12vAc4Mdnu_VTMopU1TWF6mV-

Madness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lBMFbQQfGo&list=PL8KAEKMv7ehFIL6kSPnMok0GAulRKus73

Paradise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNIc18G8jeI

I suggest Domaine de la Citadelle Le Châtaignier ($15.00), a classic Provençale blend of one-third Syrah and one third Cinsault, with the balance equally split between Grenache and Carignan. In the glass, the wine has a pale pink color. Red cherries, tangerines, and fresh flowers move in and out of the foreground, sometimes alternating with cranberries and mandarin oranges as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is dry and refreshing, with strawberries and persimmon joining the red cherries and currants, all wrapped in fresh acidity and saline minerality. An excellent choice for greeting spring and listening to the music of a fantastic guitarist.

Cheers!

Kelly Valleau & Girard Petit Sirah

Kelly Valleau has been one of my favorite guitarists since I discovered his work about five years ago. He was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario, joining the ranks of other great Canadian fingerstyle guitarists. Must be the cold winters where the only thing to do is sit inside and practice. He took up the guitar at 15 and by 22 was playing professionally. He used to focus mostly on classical and Spanish style music, using a nylon stringed guitar. However, after attending the 2006 Canadian fingerstyle guitar championships and hearing people like Don Ross, he began arranging and playing more pop tunes.

He switched to the steel stringed acoustic because he got bored with nylon, saying it wasn’t inspiring him anymore. He is one of the most prolific arrangers of pop tunes merging beautiful melodies with intricate harmonies all augmented by minimalist percussive techniques. I could (and often do) listen to him all day.

Money for nothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikW3tsAgb38

Stairway to Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnZ3zObMfu0

Pompeii: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w75g96eyQoc

Layla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXO53Zl8yCU

Radioactive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZAvPYj287M

Counting Stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZqUvsE7_E8

Let her go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHVnMuVW4Mw

Wake me up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSKFGaviD0

Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBKXkKQf_nQ

Roar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo4uocZGcpw

Bohemian Rhapsody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B7d_gjK3og

Sultans of Swing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI8tvq_b2vQ

Apologize: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHgj2UzqMx0

Sweet home Alabama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KagFJDhtUA

Viva la via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZ_2a3psuk

Say something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5nt9L9TwlQ

While my guitar gently weeps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWLGRZuXyuE

I’m pairing Kelly with one of my favorite wines, a 2011 Girard Petit Sirah ($20.00 at Costco). Planting your nose in a glass of baby is like falling into a patch of blackberries. The fragrance of this inky purple wine unfolds further revealing, black cherries, cassis, dark chocolate, and coffee. The taste is like a fruit extravaganza dominated by blackberries, cherries, and a touch of vanilla with nicely integrated tannins. Grab a bottle or six and check out Kelly Valleau.

Cheers!

Calum Graham & Nautilus Pinot Noir

Been gone for several months due to a classic case of writer’s fatigue. In the past eighteen months I’ve published six new thriller novels containing a total of 468,000 words and since they’re now available as ebooks, I’m starting to get some traction. But just because I’ve been gone doesn’t mean I haven’t been discovering some great new guitarists.

I first became aware of Calum Graham while sifting through video performances of the 2010 Canadian Guitar Festival competition. I believe he was 18 at the time and became the first teenager to ever win. What’s even more amazing to me is that he’d only been playing for five years when he won.  Since then he’s continued to increase his guitar chops exponentially.

Maybe it’s because the winters are so cold, and there’s nothing else to do but stay inside and play the guitar, but Canada seems to be a spawning ground for incredible guitarists and Calum is one of them. He was born in British Columbia in the small town of High River. He grew up in a family that surrounded him with various forms of music that he says had a strong influence on his style. His picking technique and sense of melody are self-taught and not the result of any classical training. One thing is certain. Few people on the planet can play the guitar like him.

Waiting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFJXgBMlZM

12:34: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB4GRmgUpR8

Phoenix Rising: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqn-7ZkYUYM

It is what it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrflRwGRyI

The Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iP5OGXGqmw

Indivisible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D4RwrMyjGQ

3-Way Street: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4aQZeNP57w

1^st Place Canadian Guitar festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MadlZwIeD5k

Carol of the Bells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbblsGRKLOU

Stonebridge visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNbuwoy3bs

Song for Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4owmSM_46gI

Hey Ya, with Don Ross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HGmgPGyGm4

Since I’m climbing back in the saddle, I thought I’d pair Calum with one of my favorite wines, a Nautilus Pinot Noir (the 2011 is $22.00 at CostCo). The first thing you notice as you pour it is the bright ruby red color. The second is the nose of cherries, raspberries, and baking spices.  The taste is full of tart, succulent cherry with accents of red raspberry and vanilla. Great wine and a great guitarist.

Cheers!

Doug Smith & Catena Zapata High Mountain Malbec

Doug Smith is a former winner (2006) of the Winfield International Fingerstyle Guitar contest and also a Grammy winner. “August Rush”. Doug's music has been heard on radio and T.V. stations throughout the country, including The Discovery Channel, Martha Stewart Living, CNN, TNN, ESPN, and Encore. He also played guitar on the soundtracks for the recent movies " Moll Flanders ," " Twister ," and “August Rush.”

His style combines folk, classical, and jazz into a style that reminds me of Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins. In fact, in the early years of his guitar career, he saw Chet play with the Boston Pops, after which he focused exclusively on fingerstyle guitar. Later in 1970, he heard John Renbourn’s album, “The Hermit,” which caused him to further focus on steel strings and introduce altered tunings into his repertoire, although he credits Alex de Grassi and Michael Hedges as major influences that also led him in the latter direction. In February of 2005, Doug and the several other fantastic guitarists from Solid Air Records, won a Grammy Award for "Best Acoustic Pop Album" for the album, " Henry Mancini - Pink Guitar.” For those of you guitar techie geeks, Doug plays James Goodall and Lance McCollum guitars.

His music is beautiful and a great means of relaxing from the work week. Enjoy!

Renewal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM5gK1PFDTQ&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Ritual Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVquw6y9vto&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Magnificent Seven theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-HB1y8eJo0&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Sor Phalanges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j796XI_H3NY&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Millenium Force: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Gav5uUx9w&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Two handed paradox: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2gejidFTV0&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Order of magnitude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdYIkPlYjhY&list=PL941277E94714A46E

Embryonic Journey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQejhIFfZjA

Ave Maria/Can’t help falling in love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHI5npcL15I

Stars & Stripes Forever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-NY3GiYAFc

Beyond the clouds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng_HWFE0HDw

On the boardwalk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRylisfC0bY

What a friend we have in Jesus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Q72BETg-Q&list=PL941277E94714A46E

I’m pairing Doug with a 2011 Catena Zapata High Mountain Malbec ($18.00). I’ve grown to really like Malbecs. Not as sweet as Merlot and not as heavy on oak and tannins as a Cabernet. This one is deep violet purple with aromas of red and dark fruits, and mocha overlaid with nuances of violets and vanilla. The taste is full of blackberries, blueberries, and a touch of coffee tinged with chocolate and cinnamon.

The tannin’s are mild and the wine has nice acidity and minerality that leads to a long finish. It’s the perfect compliment to the guitar artistry of Doug Smith.

Cheers! 

Dire Straights & Domaine Magellan Rose

Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland to an English mother and a Hungarian father. He has a graduate degree in English, but, of course, is best known as the lead guitarist and driving force behind one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Dire Straits. In my personal opinion, he is one of the finest lead guitarists to have ever picked up the instrument. His haunting tone, chord progressions, and leads have a moody, emotional quality. I’ve included a full concert performed in the Netherlands (with excellent sound quality) that really illustrates his skill. His playing is effortless.

Also, since Money For Nothing was the first music video ever shown on British TV, I’ve included a revised version. The second verse of the original commented on “the little faggot with the earing and the makeup,” not terribly politically correct these days and Knopfler sings that verse differently when the song is played live. Hope you enjoy one of my all time favorite bands and a great guitarist.

Dire Straits full concert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz3fVqwc14g

Money for nothing video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD6Obi7Cag

Summer has finally arrived, so it’s time to break out some of my favorite warm weather wines. I love the fresh crispness of a Rose and the 2012 Domaine Magellan Vin de Pays des Cotes de Thongues Rose Le Fruit Defendu ($15.00) is a good one. Many people think “sweet” when they see a bottle of Rose, but nothing could be father from the truth. This wine is coppery-pink in the glass with a bouquet of strawberries, cherries, and fresh cut flowers, but it has a dry, crispness with good minerality and flavors of cherries and a bit of rhubarb. Roses like this one are very refreshing on a warm summer evening, and if the neighbors get a little peeved because you’re cranking the Dire Straits concert through your tower speakers on the back deck, just invite them over for a glass. I bet they’ll enjoy it.

Cheers!