Don Alder plays acoustic fingerstyle guitar with a passion that has quickly earned him a reputation as Vancouver’s best kept little secret.
The world-class fingerstyle guitarist with the wow factor is stopping in Penticton on Thursday, Oct. 4 at Smith & Company for a show. Alder is the only guitarist in the world to have won three major guitar competitions; 2007 International Fingerstyle Championships, 2010 Guitar Superstar Competition and the 2011 Guitar Idol III.
His unique style of playing incorporates fingerpicking with simultaneous percussion on the soundboard to create a wall of sound. He is often referred to as sounding like a four piece band. Alder’s music is his own unique weave of deeply textured melody and story. Lyrical and compelling, his original songs are notes of exploration — some passionate and haunting, some hard-driven, others light and teasing. In quiet pieces or pushing right to the edge, Alder’s phenomenal fingerstyle playing and rich voice captivate.
Alder is a lifelong friend of Rick Hansen and put his music career on hold in 1985 to help with the world tour. Today he still works in a vital role at the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation.
Tickets to the Oct. 4 show are $17 for adults, $10 for students including HST. They can be purchased in advance or at the door at Smith & Company, 215 Winnipeg St.