专辑简介

Mike Dougherty is a guitarist/composer in the Washington, D.C. area who specializes in acoustic steel-string fingerpicking music. His original guitar compostions incorporate many different strains of American music: blues, folk, country, ragtime, jazz, rock, etc.. Syncopated rhythms, melodic content, texture, and space are also present. Simplicity is the driving force behind the compostions. Each song strives to achieve a balance between accessibility and inaccessibility, while expressing some form of emotion. Sense of humor is important as well.

Mike's musical background can only be described as diverse and eclectic. He has evolved from folk strummer, to electric blues-rocker, to acoustic roots musician, to instrumental fingerpicker and slide guitarist. The new release, BETTER SLOW DOWN (2005), is a collection of eight original compositions for solo acoustic guitar. It was recorded entirely live with no overdubs. The music is reminiscent of John Fahey, Peter Lang, Jorma Kaukonen's instrumentals, and obviously owes a debt to all the great blues and country fingerpickers (i.e. John Hurt, Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins- but who can really play as well as them?). It is his first official release.