Two guitar greats coming to Cooperstown for March 19 show
The Cooperstown Concert Series brings a barnburner of a show to the Otesaga Hotel on Saturday, March 19, when guitarists Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar come to town in a rare duet setting sure to delight guitar buffs and anyone who appreciates music played by some of the country’s finest musicians.
The pair have played with some of the world’s best-known artists – everyone from Texas swing champs Asleep at the Wheel to John Hiatt to Van Morrison to Bob Dylan – but it’s when they’re performing on their own when they really shine. Fans will have a unique opportunity to hear them in the intimate setting of the ballroom at the Otesaga Hotel. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Dobro, lap steel, and steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar is a five-time Grammy winner and is touring behind her most recent, self-produced release “Waltz for Abilene.” Growing up in Woodstock, New York, she performed regularly there with local favorites like Levon Helm and Rick Danko, moved to Nashville then on to Austin, Texas, where she became the go-to player for the biggest artists in music. She was the first woman inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011, inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and nominated as Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music Association in 2016.
Her “Waltz for Abilene” album features her own great playing but also carries special guests, including fellow guitar whizzes Albert Lee, Rory Block, and Arlen Roth, as well as appearances from her friends in Asleep at the Wheel and John Sebastian. The album also features one cut with Sonny Landreth – her on-stage partner at the Otesaga.
No less a fret expert than Eric Clapton said “Sonny Landreth is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet, and also probably one of the most advanced.”
Mr. Landreth will perform originals and blues classics from across his long career, including his latest album, 2020’s “Blacktop Run.” The album, his 14th, features hard-edged electric instrumentals and wistful acoustic ballads, recorded mostly live in a studio south of Lafayette, Louisiana. Zydeco, blues, ballads – they’re all there on the album and in his playing on acoustic resonator guitar and electric guitar.
His “Recorded Live in Lafayette” album from 2017 showcases not just his electric playing, but features a full acoustic set with a setlist covering his entire career to that point. Eclectic and electric, the album serves as a perfect introduction for the uninitiated.
The Cooperstown show is just one of a handful team-ups with Ms. Cashdollar on a tour that will take him to famous venues such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Iridium in New York City, Daryl’s House in Pawling, and others. The Otesaga show is a wonderful opportunity to catch two of the very best in the business.
Tickets are $20 each; online sales end at 5 p.m. on the day of the show. Visit www.cooperstownconcertseries.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
SONNY LANDRETH WITH CINDY CASHDOLLAR. Otesaga Resort Hotel, Saturday, March 19. 7:30 p.m.
*For a little preview, here’s a clip from a 2014 show in New York City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXX2OswJdy4