John Fahey died in February at the age of 61. Tonight seven of his colleagues honor the "godfather" of solo acoustic guitar music. Fahey breathed new life into folk music with instrumentals that both celebrated and convoluted country blues. In 1959 he recorded the album, Blind Joe Death. Throughout the 1960s, guitar players listened to the album with reverence, entranced by its dark aura and raw emotional power. Fahey subsequently formed Takoma Record company, and released another 40 albums through the course of his career, including two additional staples of the 1960s, The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death and Death Chants, Breakdowns, and Military Waltzes. His self-described American Primitive style, which drew from the techniques of such pioneer bluesman as Skip James, Bukka White, and Charlie Patton, explored the harmonic richness of combinations of open strings and basic chord voicings, first anticipating, and then later, re-capitulating late twentieth century alternative rock. While remaining rooted in this approach, Fahey always exhibited a spirit of adventure and, through the years, incorporated elements of raga, ragtime, gospel, jazz, and free improvisation. Peter Lang is a brilliant fingerstylist whose emotive style was first brought to the public by Takoma. From Nashville, percussive fingerpicker extraordinaire, Michael Gulezian, recorded for Takoma before founding his own Timbreline Records. Master of free improvisation, Berkeley-based Henry Kaiser offers a delightfully twisted interpretation of Fahey' s vision. Seattle's Rick Ruskin, a Takoma artist and past duet partner of Fahey's, is a polished fingerstylist with dazzling technique. Originally from Massachusetts, Los Angeles-based bluesman, Mitch Greenhill, comprises one-half of the duo, Mitch and Mayne, which performs at the Freight on August 17. Another of Fahey' s students, Charles Schmidt, who joins us from Chicago, performs pieces popularized by the master. Bay Area native, Phil Kellogg, an adventurous fingerpicker who often opened shows for Fahey, organized tonight's event with generous assistance from John' s friends and family.