PORT TOWNSEND — Celtic guitarist Tony McManus, who combines themes of the traditional music of the Celts along with more global influences, will perform Thursday at The Palindrome at Eaglemount Cidery.
The concert, sponsored by Rainshadow Recording, will be at 7:30 p.m. at 1893 S. Jacob Miller Road.
Tickets are $20 from brownpapertickets.com or at the door.
On his acoustic guitar, McManus draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec along with still further-ranging flavors, such as jazz and east European music, becoming “known as a pioneer in bridging Celtic music with other guitar genres,” organizers said.
Guitar Player Magazine described him as “one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time.”
Born in 1965 in Paisley, near Glasgow, his surname the legacy of an Irish grandfather, McManus was introduced to traditional music via the family record collection.
Having first tried his hand at the fiddle, whistle and mandolin, he took up the guitar at the age of 10, although subsequent academic inclinations got him halfway through a doctorate in math before the music won out.
After making his name as an accompanist, he took the solo plunge with a main-stage debut on the final night of Glasgow’s inaugural Celtic Connections festival in 1994, supporting Capercaillie in front of a 2,500-strong crowd.
Over the years, McManus has recorded both a variety of albums, both solo and with friends.
For more about him, see www.tonymcmanus.com.
This concert series is produced by Rainshadow Recording as part of a collaboration with Matt Miner, former producer of the Northwind Songs concert series held at Northwind Arts Center before the pandemic.
