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THE best lineup of Top Guitar Players Anywhere. Period.
Welcome to the Lord of the Strings website!
2023 marks our 21st year of bringing you the best in acoustic music!
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
BLACK MARKET TRUST
The Black Market Trust are an American Traditional Pop/Vocal Jazz group from Los Angeles who combine the sounds of the legendary American crooners and vocal groups with the fire and energy of Gypsy Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Consisting of five world class musicians who have traveled the globe recording and performing on the world’s biggest stages and with music’s most renowned artists, The Black Market Trust capitalize on their experience and pedigree to deliver a high energy, crowd pleasing performance filled with some of the best songs ever written.
The live show features material from The Great American Songbook infused with Django’s romantic and virtuosic flavor. Add some intricate vocal harmonies, a dash of Rat Pack-style comedy and it’s clear to audiences why The Black Market Trust have quickly earned a reputation as one of the premier live acts performing in music today. Be transported as they meld two distinctly different vibes- one of a gypsy campfire, the other a slick metropolitan nightclub- into a cohesive, stylish sound.
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - February 22, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
LAURENCE JUBER
“Juber scores high marks for the clarion precision of his playing and for his tasteful arrangements” – Downbeat
“A Master!“- Pete Townshend, The Who
“The melodies, textures and harmonies he coaxes out of an acoustic guitar are absolutely spellbinding.” – Guitar Player Magazine
“One of the world’s most remarkable acoustic guitarists.” – The South China Post
GRAMMY® winning guitarist Laurence Juber is a solo performer, recording artist, composer and arranger. His playing fuses folk, jazz, blues, pop and classical styles, creating a multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument.
A music graduate of London’s Goldsmith’s College, he was featured guitar soloist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra before becoming established as a studio musician in the mid-1970’s. First internationally recognized as lead guitarist in Beatle Paul McCartney’s Wings, with whom he won a Grammy, Juber has since established himself as world-renowned guitar virtuoso and entertainer.
Juber, known to his fans as LJ, has recorded more than two dozen albums which spotlight his unique touch and tone on acoustic guitar. His latest release, A Day In My Life, is a collection of a dozen of his celebrated arrangements of Beatles songs recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios , where the band recorded most of their music. As well as being available on all the streaming services, it is being offered in a limited edition 180 gram vinyl LP format. His previous release, Select Blends, is a ‘virtually’ live album pulled from his over 250 livestream performances during Covid lockdown.
His LJ Plays The Beatles was voted one of Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s all-time Top Ten albums. His solo arrangement of The Pink Panther Theme earned him a second Grammy, while his arrangement of Stand By Me was heard nationally in a Diamonds Are Forever commercial. Juber’s DVD-Audio project Guitar Noir (AIX Records) won a CES Demmy award for best audio.
Juber has four guitar folios in print. The latest, The Evolution of Fingerstyle Guitar was published by Hal Leonard in January 2019. His ‘photo memoir’ Guitar With Wings was recently published by Dalton Watson Fine Books.
As a studio musician, he can be heard on recordings from artists as diverse as Harry Styles, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, Seal and the French chanteuse Sylvie Vartin, plus he is featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows such as Home Improvement and movies including the academy award-winning Dirty Dancing, Good Will Hunting and Pocahontas.
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - March 29, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
JEFF PETERSON
Recognized as one of Hawaii’s most versatile musicians, Jeff Peterson is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene today. His passion for the guitar has allowed him to shine as a solo artist and has given him the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of artists from Hawaii, across the US, and abroad. His focus on Slack Key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique and transcendent voice on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage.
He has contributed to two Grammy Award-winning recordings and has been honored with fourteen Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in Hawaii. His solo CD Maui on My Mind was recognized as the Slack Key Album of the Year and received a Grammy nomination in 2010. His next release featured his songwriting, performing, and producing on Amy Hanaiali`i and Slack Key Masters of Hawaii. The groundbreaking recording features a collaboration between Jeff, Amy Hanaiali`i, Cyril Pahinui, Dennis Kamakahi, Sonny Lim, and Chino Montero. His next release titled Slack Key Travels includes twelve new compositions and new arrangements of classic Hawaiian songs and won the 2014 Hoku Award for Best Slack Key Album. Jeff’s solo album O’ahu won two Hoku Awards in 2016 for Slack Key Album of the Year and instrumental song of the year for the song Old Pali. His latest release Wahi Pana is a full length performance and documentary film and CD soundtrack. Jeff premiered composed and performed the first ever Concerto for Slack Key Guitar and Orchestra in 2016 with the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra. The piece is featured in Wahi Pana, Songs of Place, which is a full length performance and documentary film with a CD soundtrack featuring slack key, classical, jazz, and world music along with background on Jeff’s life, music, travels, and collaborations. Current projects have included an instructional DVD on slack key guitar and the 2018 Na Hoku Hanohano Instrumental Album of the Year Across the Sea featuring Tsun Hui Hung on erhu and Greg Sardina on steel guitar. He most recent solo album Paniolo Son was awarded Slack Key Album of the year in 2024. Jeff is a 2018 Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellow and 2018 First People’s Fund Fellow.
Born on the Island of Maui, Jeff Peterson grew up on the slopes of Haleakala where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, on the Haleakala Ranch.
As a performer, Jeff has had the honor to work with a wide range of artists and groups including Eric Clapton, James Galway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Aaron Neville, Boz Scaggs, the Honolulu Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Keola Beamer, Nathan Aweau, Amy Hanaiali’i, The Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii, jazz bassist Rufus Reid, shakuhachi master Riley Lee, Taiko master Kenny Endo, Classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, Hindustani Slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, the acclaimed string quartet Ethel, and with many other artists in the fields of Hawaiian, classical, and jazz music. He is also featured as a performer and arranger on the 2008 and 2009 Grammy Nominated recordings “Aumakua” and “Friends and Family of Hawaii” by Amy Hanaiali’i.
He achieved a milestone in Hawaiian music at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on February 13th, 2005, when a recording featuring Jeff and other island artists, “Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2”, won the first ever Grammy Award for best Hawaiian recording. He is also featured on the recording that won the 2010 Grammy Award in the Hawaiian music category. Five of his songs were featured in the film The Descendants starring George Clooney.
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - April 26, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
JOSCHO STEPHAN TRIO
Joscho Stephan shapes modern gypsy swing with his playing like no other: With his authentic tone, his harmonic finesse and his sense of rhythm, but above all with his breathtaking solo technique, Stephan has earned himself an outstanding reputation on the international guitar scene. Like no other, he knows how to stand out from the multitude of current Gypsy Swing adaptations by combining Gypsy Swing with Latin, Classical and Rock, in addition to numerous interpretations of the well-known classics of the genre. This is where Stephan’s strength as a creative visionary shines through. The result is a delight for concert audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Joscho's YouTube version of “Hey Joe” has now reached 3 million views. His debut album ‘Swinging Strings’ was voted CD of the month in 1999 by Guitar Player magazine.
In 2004, Acoustic Guitar Magazine celebrated Joscho Stephan as the future of gypsy jazz guitar. For the CD “Guitar Heroes” in 2015, Joscho Stephan invited guitar greats like Bireli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg and Tommy Emmanuel. The 2018 production “Paris – Berlin” was released as a limited “Direct to Disc” vinyl, recorded at the legendary Hansa Studios (where David Bowie’s “Heroes” was recorded, among others). In total, 4 of Joscho’s albums have been nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. In the USA, too, he has thrilled audiences with concerts in Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and at the legendary Jazz Festival. San Francisco, Detroit, the legendary jazz club Birdland and the Lincoln Center in New York.
His current trio includes Sven Jungbeck (rhythm guitar) and Volker Kamp (double bass). The trio has been on the road since 2018 and has since played numerous tours and concerts. (e.g. in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Croatia, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Estonia).
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - May 24, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
CLIVE CARROLL
Born in England, Clive began his musical journey in Chelmsford, Essex. His parents had a taste for American country and old time music and it wasn’t long before Clive was playing in the family band on a homemade banjo. By his early teens, guitar in hand, Clive was traversing the worlds of soul, pop, funk, and traditional Irish music, balancing his affinity for Slayer with the etudes of Tárrega.
This breadth of musical curiosity was to become one of his strengths; even as a kid Clive was as comfortable accompanying a group of folk singers as he was jamming along to Nirvana, or reading charts on banjo and guitar in theatre orchestra pits.
Clive went on to earn a 1st Class Honours Degree in Composition and Guitar from the famed Trinity College of Music in London, all the while balancing his classical work with forays into the world of the steel string guitar. By the time he graduated from Trinity, Clive had not only penned orchestral works, he had written an album’s worth of solo acoustic guitar music. A chance meeting with English guitar legend John Renbourn proved the catalyst for Clive’s debut album, “Sixth Sense”, which Renbourn deemed “a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar”. He subsequently took Clive on the road with him and the pair toured North America and Europe together, launching Clive’s solo performing career.
Since then he has worked with guitar greats such as John Williams, Tommy Emmanuel, Xuefei Yang, Ralph Towner, D'Gary, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. He has toured across Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and North America.
To date, Clive has released four solo albums; “Sixth Sense”, “The Red Guitar”, “Life in Colour” and "The Furthest Tree".
Clive has also written, performed, and conducted music for television and film, most notably collaborating with John Renbourn to compose the music for the film “Driving Lessons”, which features Julie Walters and Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame.
2000 - “Probably the best and most original young acoustic guitarist/composer in Britain.” - Acoustic Guitar Magazine USA
2021 - “...arguably the most accomplished fingerstylist in the world today...” - Total Guitar Magazine
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - June 28, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
BROOKS ROBERTSON
Brooks was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1989. Seeing Buster B. Jones perform at a festival near his home town became a life-changing experience for the kid from the sticks. Just eleven years old, he was immediately inclined to pick up the guitar. Soon, the world renowned fingerstyle virtuoso and instructor dedicated his spare time to introducing his new fan into the secrets of the fretboard, and after six months of lessons the natural talent performed his first show with his mentor.
When Buster B. Jones took him under his wings, Brooks began playing high-profile gigs such as the Nokie Edwards Festival, the NAMM Show in Anaheim, the Montreal Jazz Festival or the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield among others. By the time he was a teenager he had become the youngest endorsee of Godin Guitars and traveled to several states and foreign countries to perform. Brooks went on to play on Garrison Keillor's National Public Radio classic "A Prairie Home Companion" in 2004, where he won first place in a talent competition for 12 to 20 year old participants.
In recent years, while still appearing regularly at prestigious events like the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS) Convention in Nashville, Brooks focussed on perfecting his craft, soaking up new tunes and styles and techniques as well as blending them into his own groovy and soulful original music. He entered the "Yamaha Six String Theory Guitar Competition", which drew participants from more than 40 countries all over the world. Brooks was invited to perform in the finals at the Broad Stage in Los Angeles in March 2010. A star-studded jury, including Steve Lukather and Lee Ritenour, eventually chose him as winner of the country category and second place winner overall.
In 2014 Robertson was a finalist in Ritenour's Six String Theory competition and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2018 he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Professional Music — focusing on Contemporary Writing & Production, Music Business, and minoring in Theory of Jazz and Popular Music.
Although he is deeply rooted in the powerful tradition of the genre, founded by the likes of Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Thom Bresh and Buster B. Jones, Brooks also draws inspiration from the elegant mastery of the legendary Chet Atkins and other phenomenal players. His own compositions and arrangements have even been compared to fingerstyle jazz champions Lenny Breau and Earl Klugh. Now, as energy and maturity come together, this young man is ready to step out of his mentors' shadows and electrify the world with the sheer acoustic beauty his fingers create, when touching a set of strings.
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - August 23, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.
TRANSATLANTIC GUITAR TRIO
The fingerstyle guitar champion Richard Smith (UK), the gypsy jazz virtuoso Joscho Stephan (Germany) and the ingenious multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman (USA) joined forces in 2019 and have made guest appearances at numerous renowned concert series and at several well-known festivals in the USA. It's unique how they combine jazz ballads, gypsy swing standards, a pinch of pop music and groovy original compositions into a new whole. The wide-ranging repertoire of the Transatlantic Guitar Trio and the newly arranged songs by great role models such as Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed make the album by the 3-star guitarists an incomparable experience.
Richard Smith was born in Beckenham, England. He picked up the guitar when he was five years old after watching his father playing an Atkins and Travis version of "Down South Blues". He begged his father, a longtime Atkins admirer, to introduce him to the fingerpicking style. Smith soon became a child prodigy on the guitar. As a kid he could play the entire discographies of Django Reinhardt and Chet Atkins. At the age of 11 he shared the stage with his idol when Atkins invited Smith to play with him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He was also influenced by guitarist Big Jim Sullivan and briefly studied jazz guitar with Shane Hill at Warlingham School, Surrey.
He formed the Richard Smith Guitar Trio with his brothers Rob and Sam before marrying American cellist Julie Adams and moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. He founded the Hot Club of Nashville, a jam band with a varying lineup that included John Jorgenson, Pat Bergeson, Bryan Sutton, and Stuart Duncan, combining gypsy jazz and western swing. His repertoire includes country, bluegrass, blues, ragtime, folk, jazz, pop, and classical music. In 1999 he won the AFG Golden Thumbpick Award.
Smith won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas in 2001. The National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame named him Thumbpicker of the Year in 2008 and 2021 and inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2009. He received the Golden Thumbpick Award by the Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists.
Richard has played with Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Nato Lima, Boots Randolph, Tommy Emmanuel, John Jorgenson, Marcel Dadi, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Pass, Biréli Lagrène, Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Martin Taylor, Jorge Morel, Earl Klugh, Suzy Bogguss, Victor Wooten, John Cowan and countless more.
Joscho Stephan shapes modern gypsy swing with his playing like no other. With his authentic tone, his harmonic finesse and his sense of rhythm, but above all with his breathtaking solo technique, Stephan has earned himself an outstanding reputation on the international guitar scene. Like no other, he knows how to stand out from the multitude of current Gypsy Swing adaptations by combining Gypsy Swing with Latin, Classical and Rock, in addition to numerous interpretations of the well-known classics of the genre. This is where Stephan’s strength as a creative visionary shines through. The result is a delight for concert audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Joscho's YouTube version of “Hey Joe” has now reached 3 million views. His debut album ‘Swinging Strings’ was voted CD of the month in 1999 by Guitar Player magazine.
In 2004, Acoustic Guitar Magazine celebrated Joscho Stephan as the future of gypsy jazz guitar. For the CD “Guitar Heroes” in 2015, Joscho Stephan invited guitar greats like Bireli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg and Tommy Emmanuel. The 2018 production “Paris – Berlin” was released as a limited “Direct to Disc” vinyl, recorded at the legendary Hansa Studios (where David Bowie’s “Heroes” was recorded, among others). In total, 4 of Joscho’s albums have been nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. In the USA, too, he has thrilled audiences with concerts in Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, the legendary jazz club Birdland and the Lincoln Center in New York.
Rory Hoffman - Rory has played the Grand Ole Opry numerous times, as a soloist and as a sideman with Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Mattea and John Cowan. Working with these stars and others has enabled him to play several notable festivals, including Telluride with John Cowan, and Djangofest as part of the John Jorgenson quintet. Kacey Musgraves has asked Rory to play on her Christmas album, and to be part of the 2016 tour promoting that release. He has performed internationally and deeply enjoys any opportunities to travel the world, experiencing the culture and sharing music. When not out on the road touring, Rory is proud to be in several local Nashville bands, including 50 Shades of Hay, and the Gypsy hombres.
"Just Jazz Guitar" and "Guitar Player" magazines have written feature articles about Hoffman's unique guitar style. Rory is 2-time winner of Musician of the Year from Nashville's ICMA, and is a 2012 inductee into the South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame.
Rory's personal musical career was jumpstarted in 1999 upon winning Grand Champion Instrumentalist at the Christian Artist Seminar in the Rockies. In 2001 he traveled to Nashville for the first time to record his Gospel instrumental CD, "Blind Faith". He then helped form Depot Music Productions, based in Mobridge South Dakota. There he self-produced his second album "fishin'", this time choosing country music as his theme. While with Depot Music, Rory produced several other studio projects for local and regional artists.
Rory moved to Nashville in the spring of 2008. Three years later in 2011 he released his 3rd album, "Swing Expedition". On this project, he demonstrates his abilities and inventiveness on almost every instrument he plays. Tunes range from a gypsy jazz arrangement of a Star Wars Theme, a bossa nova rendition of a classic country song, to an all-harmonica treatment of a Cole Porter Standard.
Tour de Fourth, Rory's latest album, entered the world in 2016. Rather than focus on a certain style of music, this album features music that demonstrates Rory's skill and diverse interests in country, western swing, jazz, polka, latin, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and gospel music. It is a mix of original songs, and fresh arrangements of standards. Rory is proud to feature over 25 friends, all superb Nashville musicians.
One show only
Mission Viejo Civic Center
SATURDAY - September 27, 2025
Doors: 6:30 pm
Show: 7:00 pm.