E-Mail Mike at :

moorafa@mindspring.com

Michael Guthrie

Multi-Intrumental, Innovative, Thought Provoking Folk Fusion !
~ Songster ~

“A world class performer.”
Peter Jordan, North Coast Folk Festival

“Michael Guthrie is the real deal, a throwback to the
60’s who sings music from the heart in the old style,
my kind of folkie! Thanks for keeping the old music
alive! Carl Allen, “The Wanderers“

“Michael Guthrie is a wonderful blend of bluesman, folksinger, storyteller, singer-songwriter,
and he also plays songs by the many friends he has made in years of performing.”
Dick Weissman, “The Journeyman” / Portland Folk Music Society

In June, 2007, Michael Guthrie was featured on Tom May’s nationally syndicated radio show “River City Folk” WFMT which aired on 180 FM stations across N. America and was featured on XM Satellite Radio, Channel 15 “The Village”

Michael Guthrie plays a variety of string instruments all of which he has restored himself, like his vintage 1914 Knutsen Hawaiian Lap Steel, Guit-jo, Banjolin, Rebab, Tambura and Acoustic Guitars. People from Kaslo, BC to Florence, Oregon are delighted by these historic instruments.
Guthrie blends; Folk, Blues, Jazz and Old Time styles into a dynamic program of varied textures and sounds. Guthrie is by no means afraid to step out of the box.

His folk influnces started in ‘64 when some friends “The Pill Palace Porch Pickers” showed him some cords to a Kingston Trio song. Before long Guthrie was taking Flamenco lessons from the spanish teacher at his high school, and he also joined the PHS Folk Music Club. Another big influence was his mother Mamie Guthrie, who used to sing songs while she did chores around the house. While living in Canada, 1971-’81, Guthrie spent time with a couple great acoustic-blues guitar players; Ken Hamm and Rick Bockner, he managed to get some lessons in the old blues styles. He ran his own Coffee House Venue “The Village Green Cafe” from 1973-79 in Kaslo, B.C. While living in Burbank, CA, in the 1980’s, Guthrie met Michael McClellan who showed him some of the --old blues lap steel guitar styles-- which he had learned from old 78 records.

In the spirit of “the folk process” and the old “songsters”, Guthrie is a folk musician, playing the songs he has learned from folks along the way. He now lives in Seattle, WA, and performs all over the Pacific NW Region and British Columbia.


Michael Guthrie.... Folk / Blues / Traditional / Songwriter / Multi-Instrumentalist /
Entertainer.....

“A world class performer.” Peter Jordan, North Coast Folk Festival.

“Michael Guthrie is a wonderful blend of folksinger, storyteller, singer-songwriter, and he also sings songs by the many friends he has made in years of performing.” Dick Weismann, Portland Folk Music Society.

Featured on; Tom May’s nationally syndicated radio show “River City Folk” which recently arried again on XM Satellite Radio channel 15 “The Village” Oct. 2008.

MORE RADIO:
KBCS 91.4 FM “Lunch With Folks, KMUN 91.9 FM “Troll Radio Review” 2004,06 (broadcast live from the “River Theatre” Astoria, OR), “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy” KPSU AM and “Make Room For The Blues” CJLY Nelson, B.C.

Some RECENT GIGS: Winter Folk festival Florence, OR 2013, The Langham Theatre, Kaslo, BC 2013/10/06/04, Silverton Gallery, B.C. 2013, Capitol Theatre, Nelson, B.C. 2013. The Crossroads Singer/Songwriter Showcase 2013, /12/11/10/05, Lavendar Festival 2013, Portland Folk Music Society Concert Series 2009, Quan De Fuca Festival 2008-10-11. The North Coast Folk Festival 2008-9. The Tumbleweed Music Festival 2003-13. Pine Stump Symphony 2009. Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival 2004,05,08,10. The Pike Market Busker’s Festival 2004,05,08,09. Northwest Folklife Festival 2005. The Yakima Folklife Festival 2005,10. . History House’s “Music in the Sculpture Garden” 2005-13. Cascade Coffee House 2010. Three Rivers Folklore Society Coffee House 2010. Pacific NW Folklore Society concert series at; Haller Lake Arts Council 2010. The Puget’s Sound Concert Series at Meadowbrook 2004. The Lakewood” International Festival” 2005. The Cranberrian Fair, Illwaco, WA 2003. The Highwater Festival of Fools 2004. The Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival, Kaslo, B.C.. Seattle area clubs: Chai Thai, The Hopvine Songwriters Showcase, Murphy’s, Third Place Books, El Diablo, Liquid Lounge EMP, Pegasus Coffee(Winslow). P and G Speakeasy Cafe(Duval), Brindles Market (Camano Island).

Some PAST GIGS:

CANADA: Nelson Arts festival ‘78, Langham Benefits ‘75-’79, toured with “Bruce Rathie” through “Winterland”
‘79-’80 (SE B.C.), In Canada I also played with “Allison Hogan” ’77-’78, “Ken Hamm”’78, “Jim Dix” ‘80-’81, “Tom Thompson”, “Drew Berkit” (Four Wheel Drift ) and the “MoonHogs”.
Michael Guthrie owned and operated the Village Green Cafe in Kaslo, B.C. from ‘73 to ‘79, where many Canadian artists performed, including; Bruce Cockburn, Ken Hamm and Rika Rubsadt, Bruce Rathie, Allison Hogan, Rick Bockner + more!
SEATTLE AREA bands: “Uncle Ed’s Molasses Jam”’95, “Little Russell”’96-97,” Holly Figueroa”’97, “Sweet Tweety”’97, “Deb Seymour”2004-09, “Jake Tompson”’96-97 and Ron Dalton. Solo; “Second City”, Spokane 1978, West One Tavern, Spokane ‘78-79.
PASADENA: Started 1964, ‘65 started playing concerts at Camp Norris, private parties, PHS Folk Club, Old town coffee house jams.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: In 1974, I spearheaded the foundation of the Langham Cultural Society, in Kaslo, B.C., Canada.
http://www.thelangham.ca/history_restoration.htm I wrote a monthly column “the Ramblin’ Mike” for the Victory Review Magazine for 5years. I co-created/produced the History House Summer Concert Series “Music in the Sculpture Garden” 2005-08.

CD REVIEWS :
“Michael Guthrie’s CD “Conscious Collective” is a stellar collection of real musicianship. He delves into blues, folk and rock and makes the listener think. This is what creative music is all about.”
Joe Kelley, WVOF 88.5 fm “The Upper Room with Joe Kelley”
“On Conscious Collective, Seattle’s Michael Guthrie provides us with more than just an eclectic mix of folk, blues and jazz. Whether commenting on US foreign policy, as in Military Coup, or talking about relationships as in Love Me Like a Friend, Guthrie’s passion for his fellow man shines through. His guitar playing is superb throughout. He can switch from one guitar style to another with little effort. Check out the jazzy stylings of Bloom’n and the steel sounds on Look’n at the World. Michael Guthrie has produced a CD that is both entertaining and thought provoking. I’m glad somebody is still doing that”.
Jim Dupuis “Jazz with Jim”-CFBX 92. 5 fm “theX” Kamloops , BC


   

CD available at CD Baby.com

My first exposure to singing can be attributed to my mother,
Mamie (McClain) Guthrie, who used to sing hymns and country ballads around the house. At age 15, I was introduced to the guitar by my friends, Tom Holt and Doug Gangwer (the Pill Palace Porch Pickers).. I joined the folk music club at Pasadena High, which was run by my art teacher, Rollie Younger. I studied Flamenco Guitar with Michael Parsons and I used to frequent the Flamenco shows at the “Ice House” in Pasadena. I also hung out in “Skid Row” Pasadena, (which is now “Old Town”), at the “Museum”, which was a folk dance coffee house, where I met Darelyn Farnham. Dare and I played folk music together for the love of it.

In January of 1971, Dare and I moved to British Columbia and in May, we settled in the Village of Kaslo, BC. Not long after, thanks to the kind generosity of Alfred and Johanna Herzig, we found ourselves opening The Village Green Cafe’”. We hosted a coffee house venue with live music, poetry and belly dancing, which brought a lot of talented song writers to our door... the highlight being when Bruce Cockburn stopped by one day and played for his lunch, then he and Dare played some tunes for a few lucky customers. "The Village Green Cafe’" was a source of much inspiration for me to begin writing my own songs.

1981 my life took a turn back to Pasadena, California to visit family. I ended up staying there. I returned to my trade as a commercial artist and lived in Burbank until 1988 when I moved to Seattle, Washington.

One reason for moving from Burbank was to work less and play more music. Seattle has a rich musical heritage and vibrant music scene today.

I can't make up my mind which instrument I want to play and which type of guitar sounds good, so I just have a room full of as many instruments as I can cram in there, with all my electronic gear and lock myself in and indulge in my multiple personality disorder.

I used an 8 track analog tape, (Tascam 388 ) and mixed down to a CD-RW 5000 with the usual toys in line to produce "Conscious Collective" I like mixing old technology with the new. When I can aford some new toys I'm sure I will venture more into newer stuff.

Old tube radios, audio amplifiers, guitar amps and old instruments keep me busy doing repair and restoration work which I enjoy doing.

More to come.......

 
   

 


The Langham before restoration