Bruce plays both background style instrumental guitar for events, and “show” style guitar (sometimes with vocals and stories).
Samples For Your Showy Event (Festival, House Concert…)
Fusing sweet harmonic to caffeinated percussive fingerstyle guitar and a Tom Waits voice with stories and humor.
(This is the place for checking out samples for listening rooms, stages, and the like where the focus is the music.)
Samples of Background Guitar For Your Event (Scroll down a bit to playlist “Guitar Instrumentals for Relaxed Ambience”)
Enhance any occasion.
Weddings, dinners, corporate events, cocktail parties… conversation-friendly
(This is the place to check out Bruce’s complementary, background-guitar music. As opposed to the showier stuff he does on stage or for house concerts, etc.)
Flexible amplification available, including state-of-the-art battery operated speakers, for electricity-free venues like the beach.
Some of the venues Bruce has performed background music include: beaches (East Beach, Hendrys), hotels (Biltmore, Bacara), parks (Alice Keck, Elings), churches (Unitarian, Presidio Chapel), house concerts (all over), art shows (Arroyo Hondo Preserve, art galleries), vineyards (Gainey, Oreana), galas (Ty Warner Sea Center, the Santa Barbara Mission)…
Samples below (scroll down a bit) are mostly original works, plus some adaptations of common, more traditional selections.
A Trail of Big and Little Places Bruce Has Performed
Lunacy Music and Arts Festival, Live Oak Camp, Santa Ynez CA
Ojai Concert Series – Dancing Oak Ranch, Ojai CA
Live Oak Music Festival, Live Oak Camp, Santa Ynez CA
California Avocado Festival, Carpinteria CA
Bluebird Cafe, Nashville TN – Sunday spotlight
San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito CA
Hotel Californian, Santa Barbara CA
Songtree Concert Series, Goleta CA
The Play Ground Theatre, Duluth MN
Garlic & Music Festival, Arlington WA
I Madonnari Festival, Santa Barbara Mission CA
Festival of Art & Jazz, Courthouse Sunken Gardens, Santa Barbara CA
Firestone MTB Festival, Santa Ynez CA
Lemon Festival, Goleta CA
California Organic Festival, Santa Barbara CA
Whale Festival, Santa Barbara CA
Sandcastle Festival, East Beach, Santa Barbara CA
County Fair, Santa Barbara CA
Santa Barbara County Local Fest, Lompoc CA
Acadia Theater, Minneapolis MN
NorShor Theater, Duluth MN
Alcazar Theat4r, Carpinteria CA
Fleischmann Auditorium – Santa Barbara CA
Lobero Theater – Speaking of Stories – Santa Barbara CA
Elings Park Concert Series, Santa Barbara CA
Toro Canyon Concert Series, CA
Arroyo Hondo Preserve, Gaviota Coast CA
Presidio Chapel – Pure Guitar Concert Series, unplugged and candelit, Santa Barbara CA
Fiesta – Old Spanish Days, Pershing Park, Santa Barbara CA
SOhO, Santa Barbara CA
Double Dolphin Cruis, Santa Barbara CA
Opal Restaurant & Bar, Santa Barbara CA
Satellite, Santa Barbara CA
Carr Winery, Santa Barbara CA
Kulak’s Woodshed, North Hollywood CA
The Crooked Bar, Sunset Blvd, LA CA
Hallenbeck’s, North Hollywood CA
Rogue Buddha Gallery, Minneapolis MN
The Kendall Cafe, Cambridge MA
Twiggs, San Diego CA
Local Hero, Ojai CA
Oasis, Taft CA
Rusty’s Surf Ranch – Santa Monica CA
Leaf & Bean, Bozeman MO
Cafe Paradiso, Eugene OR
The Green Earth Cafe, Bismarck ND
Dunn Bros, St. Paul MN
Higher Grounds, Grand Junction CO
McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, Omaha NE
Miramar Hotel, Montecito CA
The Santa Barbara Mission, 4th of July
Shoreline Park, Santa Barbara CA – Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Friendship Center, Montecito CA
Gypsy Den, Santa Ana CA
Coral Casino, Montecito CA
University Club, Santa Barbara CA
Linnaea’s, San Luis Obispo CA
Blue Skye Coastal Cafe, Morro Bay CA
Cisco’s, San Luis Obispo CA
Cold Spring Tavern, Santa Barbara CA
Coach House, Santa Barbara CA
Northstar Coffee, Santa Barbara CA
Zoey’s, Ventura CA
Clock Tower Inn Hotel – Ventura CA
Muddy Waters, Santa Barbara CA
Mother’s Tavern, San Luis Obispo CA
Stir Crazy, Ojai CA
Old Town Market, Lompoc CA
Zelo, Santa Barbara CA
Elsie’s, Santa Barbara CA
Chad’s, Santa Barbara CA
EDF, Santa Barbara CA
El Capitan Canyon, CA
Campus Coffee Bean, Flagstaff AZ
Cushing Street Bar, Tucson AZ
Hipsters, Odessa TX
Neutral Ground, New Orleans LA
Family Wash, Nashville TN
The French Quarter, Nashville TN
Borders, Fairview Heights IL
Westport CoffeeHouse, Kansas City MO
Gaslight Tavern, Lawrence KS
Borders, Tulsa OK
Borders, Ballwin MO
House Concert, Henderson KY
Mi Cocina, Henderson KY
Chase Cafe, Chicago IL
Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co, Milwaukee WI
Ginkgo, St. Paul MN
Shoreline Pub, Pepin WI
Sir Benedict’s, Duluth MN
Caffeine Dreams, Omaha NE
Common Grounds, Denver CO
Penny Lane, Boulder CO
Sugarbeats, Salt Lake City UT
Blue Kat Company, Cedar City UT
Garage-Ma-Hall, Las Vegas NV
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Sunlight to Candlelight Fair, Santa Barbara CA
Funk Zone Festival, Santa Barbara CA
Earth Day, Ledbetter Beach, Santa Barbara CA
Acoustic Routes, The Road Show Case, Las Vegas NV
SCAPE Art Festival for Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens
Frog and Peach, San Luis Obispo CA
Blue Rock House Concert, Menlo Park CA
Courtney House Concert, Grass Valley CA
Borders, Simi Valley CA
Unitarian Society, Santa Barbara CA, concert in The Sanctuary
Carlitos, Santa Barbara CA
The Pavilion at East Beach, Santa Barbara CA
Hemp Festival, County Courthouse Sunken Garden, Santa Barbara CA
Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara CA
Pascucci, Goleta CA
Black Dog Cafe, St. Paul MN
Beaner’s Central, Duluth MN
The Cliff House, Isla Vista CA
Intermezzo, Santa Barbara CA
Legends, Santa Barbara CA
Rincon Beach Club, Carpenteria CA
Greek Orthodox Church, Santa Barbara CA
A’roma Roasters, Santa Rosa CA
The Pearl Lounge, Eureka CA
Buffalo Gap Saloon, Portland OR
Sue’s House Concert, Eugene OR
Eugene Saturday Market, OR
Amazing Grace, Duluth MN
Ruth’s House Concert, Maidenrock WI
Armando’s, Des Plaines IL
Ben & Jerry’s SuperSibs benefit, Evanston and Glenview IL
Commodore Bar, Nashville TN
Uncle Pleasant’s, Louisville KY
Jazz, Lee’s Summit MO
Cresson Dance Benefit, Cripple Creek CO
Main Street, Grand Junction CO
The Grind, Cedar City UT
Aldo’s, Santa Barbara CA
Riviera Fine Art, Santa Barbara CA
Surf Dog, Carpenteria CA
Natural History Museum Artwalk, Santa Barbara CA
Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura Concert Series, Ventura CA
Claremont College, Claremont CA
Moose on Monroe, Mpls MN
Fiddler’s Dream, Phoenix AZ
Opening Bell, Dallas TX
Bar Car, Nashville TN
Preservation Pub, Knoxville TN
Uncommon Ground, Chicago IL
The Living Room – Googie’s Lounge, New York City NY
Synergy Cafe Lounge, Culver City CA
Arcada Court – First Thursday, Santa Barbara CA
Sojourner Cafe, Santa Barbara CA
Oceano Dunes Beach Race Benefit, Oceano CA
Rocks, Santa Barbara CA
Dubliner, St Paul MN
Cibo Fusion, Marion IA
Mars Cafe, Des Moines IA
Gainey Vineyard, Santa Ynez CA
Ventura Harbor Carousel Stage, CA
Center of the Heart, Goleta, CA
Blue Agave, Santa Barbara, CA
Oreana Winery, Santa Barbara CA
OpenMike’s Feature Act, Isla Vista CA
First Friday, Carpinteria CA
Zaytoon, Santa Barbara CA
Jeannine’s, Santa Barbara CA
Laetitia Winery, Arroyo Grande, CA
Bon Temps Creole Cafe, San Luis Obispo, CA
Santa Barbara Foundation
Tucker’s Grove, Goleta CA
El Encanto, Santa Barbara CA
Cambridge Drive Concert Series, Goleta CA
Ty Warner Sea Center, Santa Barbara CA
Bacara Resort, Goleta CA
The Hub, UCSB, Isla Vista CA