Various Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli
A collection of solo finger-picked acoustic guitar recordings from the 1970s may not seem the […]
A collection of solo finger-picked acoustic guitar recordings from the 1970s may not seem the obvious move for The Numero Group, the Chicago label known for releasing obscure soul and freak-folk. But Wayfaring Strangers is more than just a disc of emotive and gorgeous–not to mention technically astounding–guitar songs; it’s a reassessment of an entire genre of cottage recordings, one in which “obscurity” was a level of fame most only aspired to. Like Brad Chequer, whose masterful cassette-only recordings find their first digital release here. Or Scott Witte, whose “Sailor’s Dream” has all the proficiency and vitality of a Norman Blake or John Fahey (Wayfaring’s saint), but who recently finished a sophomore album–27 years after his first.