News

Guitarists Head for Bute Next Weekend

• 6th Sep 2011

The weekend of 16 – 18 September will see the first Bute International Guitar Festival on, of course, the Isle of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. Events will take place not only in the largest town Rothsay, but also in many villages throughout the island.

The festival is part of the Scotland’s Islands Initiative which is a year long programme of events designed to raise awareness of island culture, heritage and the environment.

The event will be a celebration of the guitar across many musical genres. Among the large number of performers who will play are Scots folk legend Dick Gaughan, American contemporary folk and blues guitarist Steve James, singer songwriter David Olney and Sergio Webb from Nashville.

And many of the guitarists will also host workshops in various locations across the island, passing on their skills in areas such as performance, open tuning and slide guitar techniques.

There will also be an open mic competition for solo artists on the Saturday. Five entrants will be selected for the final on Sunday morning. The overall winner will receive a Vintage Electro-Acoustic Guitar, a complete PA system and a limited edition Gold G7 Capo, as well as an opportunity to play on the main stage.

Organiser Paul Templeman, himself a talented session musician, is the man behind this event. He told Glasswerk Scotland: “I’m looking forward to welcoming hundreds of guitar enthusiasts to the island, as well as many great performers.”

Full programme information, details of transport to the island, accommodation and links to buy tickets are available on the festivals website at link