WEST MILFORD — Music at the Mission is launching it 10th anniversary season with a concert this Saturday night featuring Toby Walker and Jim Hayes.
Walker has earned praise for his guitar skills from some of the best in the business including Bob Margolin, guitarist for the late Muddy Waters.
"As a blues guitar player, I am stunned and in awe of Toby Walker's pickin'!," said Margolin. "Add to that his fine songs and singing and friendly presentation, and it's obvious that Toby Walker is one of the most enjoyable artists in today's Blues World."
"You haven't lived until you've seen Toby Walker in concert," said John Platt of WFUV. "He's not just a master guitarist, but a consummate entertainer. After you hear his new live CD, you may give it a standing ovation, like the ones he gets every time he plays."
Walker is also offering a guitar workshop prior to the concert at 2 p.m. There are only 12 spots for the workshop.
The guitar workshop will help you take your guitar playing to a new level. Walker is a master of the fingerpicking country blues styles and has been teaching for over 25 years. Walker will not only teach you hot licks and techniques but will also show you how to apply these to songs you already know.
The best part is that Walker offers the files for the workshops - both in tab and in mp3s - as a free download to all those who attend. That way nobody forgets what they learned and often times gets more valuable information than what was covered in class.
Jim Hayes of Ringwood is a singer/songwriter whose emotionally and politically charged music is meant to provoke and inspire the listeners to reflect deeply on what is really going on in our hearts and minds today. He uses his powerful voice and foot-tapping rhythms to bring his audience along with him as he sings of the longing for connection in a fragmented society.
Musically he is drawn to the blues masters such as John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles and lyricists like Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and Tom Waits. Over the last several years he has opened for Leon Russell and played at such venues as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Hard Rock Café (NYC), and Starland Ballroom (NJ).
In the early 1990s, he played the East Coast rock scene and is now returning to his acoustic roots; a mix of blues, jazz, rock, folk and soul. He formed The Jim Hayes Band in the winter of 2011. They just released their first album, “When Your Time Comes,” which includes back up singer Kelly Hancock, drummer Tom Parsells and bassist Helen Holmes. From danceable songs such as the title track When Your Time Comes to the haunting Dylanesque solo track True Name, this album showcases The Jim Hayes Band’s ability to have fun and entertain while still speaking of the concerns in our society today.
For more information and to buy tickets, go to www.musicatthemission.org or call 973-728-4201. Tickets are also available at Harvest Moon Health Food Store, 22 Marshall Hill Road, across from ShopRite.
The concert begins at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $25 at the door; the guitar workshop tickets are $50 at the door.
Music at the Mission is located in the West Milford Presbyterian Church, 1452 Union Valley Road.