Crown of Continent brings big talent to Bigfork

Award winning blues musician and slide guitarist Sonny Landreth brought his unique combination of instrumental blues to Bigfork’s Flathead Lake Lodge on Aug. 28 for the Crown of the Continent guitar festival.

He’s released multiple albums since the early 1980s, won the American Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year award in 2005 and is also known for his work with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Buffett.

Landreth’s sound is unique for two reasons. First is his right-hand technique where he picks the strings, slaps and taps with all the fingers on his right hand. The second reason is he developed a method of play where he frets notes and plays chords and chord fragments behind the slide while playing. He plays with the slide on his pinky finger; this allows more room for his other fingers to fret behind the slide.

He said he picked up the right-hand approach by working with Chet Atkins and the slide left-hand method from Robert Johnson. He also said part of the reason he approaches guitar differently is because of where he started his musical career, with a trumpet at the age of 10.

Landreth also credits his style to growing up in Louisiana where blues are a major part of the culture and where he was also exposed to jazz, Cajun zydeco, rhythm and blues, and rock.

“When you are young, you take it in through osmosis and don’t think about it, but looking back I realize it was a rich environment for me to be exposed to all those kinds of music,” Landreth said.

Part of this musical exploration means performing with other musicians. Landreth says performing with others “brings something new to the table” and takes the sound in an entirely new direction. This element of surprise is something Landreth enjoys about jamming with fellow musicians.

Those influences can be heard in his newly released eleventh album, “Elemental Journey,” which came out in May of this year. The album features Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Robert Greenridge, Brian Brignac, Doug Belote, Mike Burch, Dave Ranson, Steve Conn, Tony Daigle and other well-known instrumental musicians.

The collaborative efforts in his new album extend from his jazz roots to rock, Jamaican, zydeco and classical.

Members of Lafayette’s Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of world-renowned maestro Mariusz Smolij, combined their strings with Landreth’s slide guitar to create an entirely different sound altogether.

“You always hope you are getting better, but I let other people decide that,” Landreth said. “For me, it has to hold my attention. I am my own worst critic. Has to take me to a place I’ve never been to keep the process going. I want to keep it interesting for people and take them somewhere else too, I owe it to my fans to keep exploring and make for a greater experience for everyone.”

One of those jam sessions was with Lee Ritenour, one of the founders of Crown of the Continent. This was how Landreth learned about the festival, the workshop, and how he ultimately found himself coming to Montana for the first time to perform in Bigfork last week.

“I like the sincerity and approach to learning and engaging people in more of a community effort,” Landreth said. “I think it works well here, in this environment and gorgeous country. Who wouldn’t want to come here and just hang out? It seems to me too that I got the vibe in the (performance) tent it is well supported by the people in the area, that adds another layer to it that makes for a greater experience for everyone here.”

Landreth’s music is available on iTunes, Amazon, or his personal website, www.so nnylandreth.com.