Wayne Riker Gathering
Sat. June 1st @ 7:00 pm

A humble, but virtuoso guitarist, Wayne Riker has led a multifaceted life in music. A New York City native, he was already a veteran of more than a dozen bands when he arrived in San Diego in 1980, immediately immersing himself in the local music community.

Doing much more than playing gigs, he has recorded sixteen CDs in various genres and has taught and mentored generations of guitarists along with writing twelve acclaimed music instruction books for Alfred Publishing with worldwide distribution in tandem with authored instructional columns for Guitar Player Magazine.

Additionally, Riker has been on staff since 1990 conducting summer Blues guitar master classes for the National Guitar Workshop and Guitar Workshop Plus, co-hosting his sessions with guest Blues guitar luminaries, including Robben Ford, Duke Robillard, Matt Schofield, Debbie Davies, Josh Smith, Redd Volkaert and Dave Grissom.

Riker’s memoirs, “50 Years, 50 Bands, 50 Bucks” on Amazon, chronicles his circuitous musical gig journeys from 1960s Greenwich Village to early 1970s Jersey Shore dive bars to Midwestern honky-tonks to myriad gig scenarios in San Diego. You’ll get a fascinating inside look at the music business – from the indignities of the lows to the regular paychecks of the highs.

Riker’s multi-faceted career earned him the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 2017 San Diego Music Awards.

Artiest info @ WAYNE RIKER – Guitarist and Teacher (waynerikerguitar.com)

Missy Andersen
July 6th @ 7:00 PM 

“If a voice as rich, supple, and vibrant as Missy Andersen’s could come out of a bottle – not that it hasn’t been tried – every blues singer would be dripping deep soul.” – DAVE RUBIN, Author & Journalist.

Missy Andersen and her accompanist/husband, Heine Andersen, love what they do. Keeping a heavy touring schedule, the tenacious twosome performs as a duo which showcases the couple’s individual and combined talents. In the absence of other instruments, listeners find a greater appreciation for Missy’s gospel-tinged vocals and Heine’s Blues & Americana inspired guitar work.

A charismatic performer known for her expressive and earthy vocals, Missy Andersen received the coveted Blues Music Award nomination for Soul Blues Female Artist in 2015 and then again in 2016. Her sophomore album, In the Moment, received rave reviews from both critics and fans and ended up on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Albums. Raised in Queens, NY, Missy grew up singing along to the blues, soul, and gospel music of her parents and grandparents. These influences are evident throughout her recordings and live performances.

Originally from the country of Denmark, but steeped in American Roots music, Heine Andersen has toured extensively in both Europe and North America, playing some of the most prestigious stages and festivals throughout his career. Noted for his polyrhythmic acoustic style, Heine plays lead and rhythm as well as bass lines simultaneously. With eyes closed, a listener would swear there were at least three musicians present. Add in Missy’s expressive, deep soul vocal delivery plus humorous storytelling and it’s a perfect match of all things good. Says Missy, “My dad is from South Carolina and my mother is from Detroit so, basically, I’m bilingual. I speak North and South so that’s soul and blues.” Indeed.