July 22, 2007
Kingston, Ontario

This weekend I had so much fun kickin' it up at the Canadian Guitar Festival! Played my mainstage set on Saturday and stayed Sunday to be one of the judges for the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship. This judging thing was a whole new experience for me! Very cool! It was a blind jury and therefore myself, Wendell Ferguson, Don Ross and Andy McKee (a super-fine guitarist from Kansas) were locked in a air-conditioned trailer for the day with the windows covered and the sound fed in via a monitor. All the contestants did such an amazing job!! It was a serious day of seriously listening and in the end we agreed on three winners. My sincere congratulations go to:

1st Place: Craig D'Andrea / CT, USA
2nd Place: Don Alder / Vancouver, BC, Canada
3rd Place: Stefano Barone / Rome, Italy 

At the Canadian Guitar Festival mainstage workshop
with Wendell Ferguson and Don Ross
photo by David Carriere (more photos!)