This week on Kaleidoscope, host Juliet Fromholt spoke with fingerstyle blues guitarist Chris Yakopcic about his forthcoming album, Live at The Hidden Gem, which will be released on Friday, September 22. Since he recorded his previous album in 2015, Yacopcic has earned several honors for his blues guitar playing, including winning the Northeast Ohio Blues Association Blues Challenge in 2017 and 2022, the Blues Society of Western PA Blues Challenge in 2018, and the BSWPA Jim Weber Memorial Award for the Best Guitarist of 2018. He spoke with Juliet about why he wanted to record a live album, and about his upcoming tour in support of the release.
Chris Yakopcic says he feels most in his element as a musician when he’s alone on a stage. He told Juliet, “Playing by myself live is what I’ve done for many years, and it's always hard to get the same feeling in the studio, even though I like those too and those are fun. I’ve always wanted to do a live project.” Sharpened by practice for recent blues competitions, Yakopcic decided in early 2023 that he was ready to cut a record live to tape. On March 30, he recorded the album in front of a live audience at Hidden Gem Music Club in south Dayton. Gary King engineered the recording, and the concert was filmed by Benjamin Rivet of Journeyman Productions. Live at The Hidden Gem includes songs written by Yakopcic, as well as covers of songs by Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Robert Johnson.
Chris Yakopcic will perform several shows to celebrate the release of Live at The Hidden Gem. The first will take place at Yellow Cab Tavern on Friday, September 22, the same day that the album is released to the public. The show will feature guests, Noah Witherspoon and Achilles Tenderloin, who will also perform acoustic blues material. The album release tour will conclude on October 22nd with a performance at Vagabond Studios in Dayton. A full list of Yakopcic’s performance dates is available on his website, ChrisYakopcicMusic.com. His music is available on streaming services.
