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Guitar legend set to perform

Legendary guitarist Bill Kirchen will present a solo show at 9 p.m. July 19 at Mountain State Brewing Co. in Thomas.

Guitar Player Magazine dubbed him the “Titan of the Telecaster.” Rolling Stone said he’s “an American treasure” and “one of our best.” No matter what you call him, Kirchen is a founding father of the Americana movement, now at the peak of his impressive career. After finishing up as an instructor at Early Country Music Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, he’ll bring his solo show to Thomas for a special night at the Mountain State Brewing Co.

Kirchen was originally known as co-founder and lead guitarist of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, one of the first and only rock-n-roll bands to infuse their honky-tonk sound with pure, blood-and-guts country roots and western swing. It was Kirchen’s indelible guitar licks that drove their hit, “Hot Rod Lincoln,” into the Top 10 in 1972, a song that eventually took on a post-Cody life of its own.

Today, Kirchen’s extended version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” is his universally loved signature masterpiece, a pumped up joyride through the last 60 years of guitar-god history, described as “epic” by Rolling Stone.

In 2001, Kirchen received a Grammy nomination for his instrumental “Poultry in Motion.” The following year he was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame, neatly sandwiched between John Phillip Sousa and Dave Grohl.

Kirchen has recorded and/or played guitar live with a who’s who of Americana and roots rock ‘n’ roll, among them Gene Vincent, Link Wray, Bo Diddley, Hazel Dickens, Doug Sahm, Hoyt Axton, Emmylou Harris, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks and Nick Lowe. He is pretty sure he is the only person to have, in a single year, stood on stage and played with both Ralph Stanley and Elvis Costello.

Kirchen has released 10 CD’s on his own; the latest, “Seeds and Stems,” debuted last summer. It’s a studio album that manages to capture the essence and vibe of Kirchen’s live shows: his astounding guitar virtuosity and near-magical, joyous connection with his audience. Featured are some perpetual crowd-pleasers from the Cody days, like the title track, “Down to Seeds and Stems Again,” “Too Much Fun” and “Rockabilly Funeral.” There is also a sublime, poignant take on Dylan’s “It Takes Alot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” and an amusing bonus track with old friend Jorma Kaukonen, finger-picking through a tune that asks the musical question, “Are You Talking ‘Bout Love or Are You Talkin’ ‘Bout Chicken?”

For more information, contact mountainstatebrewingco.com.

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