Leo Kottke
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Its an unfortunate state of affairs when ones strengths are also the source of ones impediment. For Leo Kottke, the willingness to extend himself in many different directions, elastically incorporating a dizzying variety of musical styles into what still manages to be a singular and signature sound, has kept his music a relative secret. A man of such virtuosic talent should be widely considered a national treasure, rather than marginalized as a cult hero to those in the particular know. Unfortunately, much of the record buying public wants to know what theyre getting before they heart it, with a neat little label applied, and thats just not possible with Kottke. Once you hear Leo Kottke, with his powerful, graceful fingerpicking style and self-described geese farts on a muggy day vocals, you will forever recognize his music, yet be hard-pressed to accurately describe or categorize it, and therein lies the rub.
Sat., May 2, 8 p.m., 2009
