Guitar Artistry Series: Billy Rogan and Kinloch Nelson

Saturday, April 18th, 8PM, $15/$7 Students

Reserve your spot today! Advance tickets are available online below, email ryan@bernunzio.com, call (585) 473-6140, or in-person at Bernunzio Uptown Music.

We are proud to present NYC based composer and guitarist Billy Rogan in concert with Rochester favorite Kinloch Nelson.

Truly an original guitarist with his own distinct voice, over the past year and a half Billy Rogan has been living and performing in New York City. Throughout venues spanning from Terminal 5, Webster Hall and The Birdland - to even underground in the New York subway system as a MTA rostered and licensed "Music Under New York (M.U.N.Y) artist, Rogan has been independently capturing crowds wherever he may be.

Rogan is a well-versed guitarist, although known mostly for his instrumental acoustic work, whose influences include the styles and techniques of artists such as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Keller Williams and Kaki King. His original compositions reflect a unique combination of classical and modern fingerstlye with hints of new age sounds that blend forms with these intricate details of inspiration. Rogan’s skilled touch brings stories to the strings in tales of heartfelt bits and pieces, shifting rhythms and tempos – all with a soulful, fiery feel. 

In addition, Rogan has recently been awarded the honor of being featured on the American Society of Composers and Publishing’s (ASCAP) website for their highly-acclaimed Audio Portraits series.

Kinloch Nelson has been playing guitar for fun since 1956, seriously since 1968 and professionally since 1973. Born in 1950, Nelson grew up during the tail end of the jazz era, the high point of the broadway-to-the-movies musicals, the blooming of TV with its youth-focused American Bandstand and emphasis on cowboys and Indians, the heyday of AM radio and the beginning of "underground" FM radio.  The ever expanding music landscape in these years served as the backdrop to Nelson's guitar explorations, and the foundation of a 45 year performance career playing folk, classical, R and B, rock, country, ragtime, and jazz music in bands, ensembles, and as a solo performer.

Recently Nelson has been an in-demand player at the Healdsburg, Montreal, Newport, Miami and Woodstock Guitars Festivals.  He can be heard as guitar demonstrator on the websites of noted guitar builders Ken Parker (Parker "Fly" Guitars), Bruce Petros (Acoustic Guitar Magazine award winner), Julius Borges (founder of Newport Guitar Festival) , Bernie Lehmann, Bryan Galloup and David MacCubbin.  Nelson can be heard on Heartland Records, BKNjr Records, and Sampler Records.