Eric Lugosch is one of the most creative heads of the American acoustic guitar scene. He very skillfully combines technical know-how with musical expressiveness. Lugosch is a fellow who tinkers, who consistently seeks musical depth in his arrangements and whose artistic concept reflects both a respect for tradition as well as uncompromising originality. His repertoire embraces the entire range of American music: ragtime, blues, gospel and jazz. The 1984 winner of the prestigious National Fingerpicking Championship, Lugosch has spent the past 25 years sharing his craft through his performances, teaching, and writing.
Performances - Among Lugosch's hundreds of performances over the years, he has opened for: Taj Mahal, Doc Watson, John Prine, Leon Redbone and David Bromberg, as well as been the featured act on many stages in the United States, Europe and Japan. Recent festivals have included the Chet Atkins Guitar Festival in Nashville, Tennessee; the International Festival of Guitarists Meeting in Sarzana, Italy; and the Stamford International Guitar Festival and International Guitar Festival of Great Britain in Wirral, England. Lugosch's tours often include guitar workshops, considered highly successful and great fun by participants.
Teaching - For the last 18 years, Lugosch has taught classes and private lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, one of the finest institutions in North America for the study and presentation of folk and traditional music. Lugosch is one of the few resident instructors of advanced fingerstyle guitar. He also launched a series of lessons with MP3s and tablature on his website (Fingerstyle Academy) that are used to supplement and support his instruction. These lessons have brought Lugosch praise from guitar students around the world. In addition, a book of tablature is available for purchase to complement the lessons. Lugosch has also been featured and a contributing writer to Acoustic Guitar and Fingerstyle Guitar magazines.
Recordings - In his review of Lugosch's 2004 release New Tradition, Justin Hayford of the Chicago Reader wrote "Lugosch strolls with his ragtime guitar into the home turfs of folk, blues, pop and jazz, shepherding contradictory impulses into harmonic bliss like a global musical peacekeeper".
Lugosch is currently involved in a recording project titled Rev-Vision, a solo instrumental CD covering gospel and novelty tunes of the legendary Reverend Gary Davis, including both familiar and rarely heard pieces.
It seems as though there are more fingerpicking guitarists than ever making records these days, but few indeed stand out from the crowd. There are a small number who seem to love guitar playing enough to put some honest work into it. Every one of this small circle is worth hearing; each has something original that their working relationship with the instrument has produced. This is the community that sustains and furthers the music, and if you want to know who is making waves in the guitar world, these are the folks to talk to.
Eric is great at taking a well-known tune from an unexpected angle and completely reworking it. "Glory of Love", a 3/4 setting of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child", and the highly harmonized "Eight of January" are good examples. He can also pay respect to a master without losong his individuality, as he does with Gary Davis' "There's a Destruction". His rambunctious setting of the fiddle tune "Colored Aristocracy" over a slippery Professor Longhair bass line is already considered a classic in picking circles. He even tackles Thelonious Monk's "Manganese" (a.k.a. "We See") with excellent results.
Eric is great at taking a well-known tune from an unexpected angle and completely reworking it. "Glory of Love", a 3/4 setting of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child", and the highly harmonized "Eight of January" are good examples. He can also pay respect to a master without losong his individuality, as he does with Gary Davis' "There's a Destruction". His rambunctious setting of the fiddle tune "Colored Aristocracy" over a slippery Professor Longhair bass line is already considered a classic in picking circles. He even tackles Thelonious Monk's "Manganese" (a.k.a. "We See") with excellent results.
Good as he is with arranging, it is no surprise that he does so well with his own musical ideas. I think of Eric as one of the best American fingerstyle composers, and there is convincing evidence here, from the joyful "Cajun Cook" to the excellent jazz waltzes "Strike" and DeRigueur".
Eric is a good singer and superior songwriter, and I wouldn't be suprised if he manages to contribute something of lasting value in that field. But when it comes to guitar playing, arranging, and composing, there is no doubt about it, if they send some fingerpicking astronaut on one of those 300 year voyages that only takes ten years out of his life, he will find on his return, if he finds anything at all, that guitarists are still listening to this CD.
Hi.... ganz lieben Dank fürs "FREUNDELN" Gefällt mir gut was Du da machst ;-) Ich hab da noch ne nette Seite für Dich...meine Fan-Seite der Mülheimer Band " Gefuehlte140 " G140 Fanclub oder direkt : G140 kannt ja mal reinschauen....sooo, wünsche Dir noch ein wundervolles Wochenende und schicke Dir ein liebes Lächen aus dem Ruhrpott ;-) ...die Ellen
Chicago Acoustic Underground is proud to announce the posting of Episode 159 - Eric Lugosch, Andy Cohen, and Eric Noden celebrating the 112th birthday of Rev. Gary Davis. This is an important Podcast demonstrating the power and impact of the Rev. Gary Davis on American Roots music.
My thanks to you three for educating and entertaining us with this valuable portrait.
You can download free and listen to the show at www. chicagoacoustic. net or you can subscribe free on iTunes in the Podcast section.
Looking forward to meeting you in person at Lil Fest. For the fearmongers of the world I've got a song called Scairdycat that I'll do for the 9/11 show at Bills. And I just wrote a new song, You Belong. It'll be fun to introduce it to a brand new audience during the weekend. See you soon.
Hey there, Bud, A pleasure, after all these years, to hear that you're still one of my favorite fingerstyle guitar players, and that you still have that slightly twisted approach to arranging! Hope you're doing well. yer pal, Rolly Brown
Thanks for volunteering your efforts and performance at the benefit concert for the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation on August 10, 2008 at Green Dolphin Street.
If we all pitch in we can beat this terrible disease.
Chicago Acoustic Underground is proud to announce the posting of Episode 142 - Eric Lugosch. Check out his show at www. chicagoacoustic. net or subscribe free at itunes.
Eric thank you very much and I look forward to your performance at the VIP Reception for the Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Benefit show on August 10, 2008 at Green Dolphin Street 2200 N. Ashland Ave.
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