Asheville-based New Orleans transplant Marcel Anton returns to the White Horse Black Mountain on July 8th at 8:00 pm to pay musical tribute to two brilliant guitarists.
Anton is a powerhouse guitarist in his own right, able to capture the spirit of other great players’ styles while letting his own creative light shine through.
Like Hendrix, Anton has Native American ancestry and the the two share a mystical, shamanic, theatrical inclination. Marcel’s formative years in New Orleans imparted a deep grounding in the blues and R&B that underpins Hendrix’ explorations, and through years of performance Anton developed formidable guitar skills. And, like the man he’s honoring, Anton isn’t shy about cutting loose onstage. Hendrix played for years on the old Chitlin’ Circuit, emulating the veterans’ attention-grabbing moves like picking the guitar with his teeth, from the floor, or behind his back, showmanship that Marcel employs in his high energy live shows. But in the end it comes down to the music, and Marcel Anton and band have proven beyond doubt in past performances that they can do Jimi justice.
Texas guitarslinger Stevie Ray Vaughan belonged to the next musical generation. Like Hendrix, he internalized the music of master American bluesmen like B.B. and Albert King and Muddy Waters, as well as British blues rock giants. His original Texas blues shuffle “Pride and Joy”, recorded with his crack band Double Trouble, is a rock radio staple. But it was Hendrix that provided Vaughan’s ultimate inspiration, reflected in his covers of an incendiary “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” and “Little Wing/ Third Stone From the Sun” with it’s transition from lyricism to controlled feedback. Before his untimely death in a helicopter crash at age 35 Vaughan recorded a classic body of work that still shapes the playing of guitarists, including the blues-steeped Marcel Anton.
The show starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. Advance tickets are available online at www.whitehorseblackmountain.com.