Steffen Basho-Junghens

Although German born, Steffen Basho-Junghens plays the steel string guitar like he was raised on a mountainside in Appalachia. His playing owes much to luminaries like John Fahey and of course Robbie Basho, from whom he borrows part of his name. Basho-Junghens plays in torrents of notes that wash over the ears with the temperament of an ocean; calm and clandestine one moment and as the winds pick up, raging almost too fast for comprehension the next. He speaks through the strings, with an affinity for a concept behind his albums; the story becomes apparent without words. It's almost as if the words would only muddle the story. His latest album, part of the solo Wooden Guitar series put out by Locust Records, is entitled Last Days of the Dragons. The buzz and hum of 6 and 12 strings bring a Takoma sound to the hills of the east. The home recordings of his songs give an intimate warmth to the music, inviting you in and making the story songs all that much more enchanting. You can feel his hands on the neck of the guitar, choosing the notes like a story teller chooses phrasing. Inflection is just as important in both mediums and he seems to understand this quite well. Download: [MP3] Steffen Basho-Junghans -A Secret Song [MP3] Steffen Basho-Junghans -A Lost Moment