David Lindley has long championed the concept of world music and will continue in his support of this ever-shifting and evolving genre, as the featured performer at the third annual Harrison Festival Society Fundraiser, being held Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m., at the historic Harrison Memorial Hall.
"We felt Lindley was a great choice for this year's fundraiser because of his deep connection to world music, which fits well with the Festival mandate and programming," says Andy Hillhouse, Harrison Festival Society Artistic Director.
The Harrison Festival Society, known worldwide for its professional artistry and small town hospitality has long been a beacon for growing acceptance of diversity and purpose fueled programming. Since the first culturally-themed Harrison Festival of the Arts in 1985 the Society has consistently presented the best in Canadian and International performing and visual arts both for the annual July Festival and the Season of Performing Arts running from September to May each year.
"As well as being an important means of seeking resources to produce our year round programming, the festival fundraiser is a chance to bring in an act with broad appeal and name recognition to our intimate Memorial Hall," says Hillhouse. The evening includes a large selection of silent auction items, door prizes, raffle, appetizers and refreshments, "but of course the music is the main attraction," says Hillhouse.
At his expansive and diverse live performances David Lindley offers one of the most unique concert experiences available to adventuresome music listeners. He effortlessly combines American folk, blues and bluegrass traditions with elements from African, Arabic, Asian, Celtic, Malagasy and Turkish musical sources. He also incorporates an incredible array of stringed instruments including, but not limited to, Kona and Weissenborn Hawaiian lap steel guitars, Turkish saz and chumbus, Middle Eastern oud, and Irish bouzouki.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Lindley has been one of Hollywood's most in-demand session musicians, lending his skills to the recorded works of Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Crosby and Nash, Warren Zevon and many others.
"What is really interesting about Lindley is that, while he has achieved this fame, he is someone who never rested on his laurels but has continued to grow on his own distinct musical path." says Hillhouse.
A native of southern California, Lindley first took up the banjo as a teenager and subsequently won the annual Topanga Canyon banjo and fiddle competition five times. Between 1967 and 1970 Lindley founded and led what must now be seen as the first world music rock band, Kaleidoscope.
In 1971, Mr. Dave joined forces with Jackson Browne, serving as Browne's most significant musical co-conspirator for a full decade. By 1979, Lindley also began working with Ry Cooder on 'Bop Till you Drop' and 'The Long Riders' soundtrack, a musical collaboration that spawned several world tours as an acoustic duo.
"If you've heard Browne’s song Running on Empty, that memorable slide guitar is Lindley," says Hillhouse. "Audiences will also recognize him from his hit Mercury Blues, which he recorded in the 1980s."
Lindley formed a second remarkable band, El Rayo-X, in 1981 which integrated American roots music and world beat with a heavy reggae influence. During this period he recorded three studio albums; ‘El Rayo-X’, ‘Win This Record!’ and ‘Very Greasy: a live EP'; and also came forth with the solo album, 'Mr. Dave'.
A chance meeting in 1991 led to Lindley and Jordan-born percussionist Hani Naser touring the world and recording together for the following six years.
Lindley and avant-garde guitarist and ethnomusicologist Henry Kaiser went to Madagascar for two weeks in 1991 and recorded six albums of indigenous Malagasy music. These albums proved to have a major impact on the world music scene, both for the quality of the Grammy-nominated music recorded, and the fair and ethical way the Malagasy musicians were treated.
Tickets to the Harrison Festival Society Fundraiser with David Lindley are $75 ($30 tax receipt) and can be purchased online at www.harrisonfestival.com, by phone at 604.796.3664 or in person at the Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison.