When the late, great Vassar Clements heard Mike Dowling play guitar back in 1975 he did the sensible thing.  He hired him, calling Dowling "one of the finest guitarists there is, anywhere."

Dowling digs deep into the musical bag of American roots guitar, favoring the melodic Piedmont style of blues masters like Mississippi John Hurt and slide great Tampa Red.

But Dowling can't be pigeonholed as a blues player, or even as a fingerstylist. He's far too versatile for that. From bottleneck blues to vintage jazz and much more in between, Mike's musicality, depth, and mastery of the instrument translates fluently to flattop, archtop, and resonator guitars alike.

One of those rare artists who teaches as well as he plays, Dowling will be in residence at Centrum from January 31 to February 3 at the Bottleneck workshop. For workshop registration follow this link or call us at 360.385.3102, x114.