Celtic musician Tony McManus is no stranger to Culver, having performed at Boulevard Music more than once over the years. He’s back this weekend, so he told the News about what he has in store for Culver City…
When did you start playing and performing?
I started on violin at school, age seven or eight. Had I been better, I’d have remembered! My dad noticed that I’d routinely have the fiddle on my lap strumming chords; I had good intonation and terrible bowing. He got me a mandolin and a flat pick and I was off to the races. Then age 10 I got a dreadful $20 guitar, though I loved it at the time. Performing came much later. I got sidetracked into academia and was half way through a PhD in mathematics when the penny dropped that I should be playing as a career. I shared a big house with a group of drama students and got dragged kicking and screaming to perform at some campus events and it snowballed from there.
Describe your sound/style…
I’m mostly a Celtic musician. Born in Scotland, Irish grandparents, and that culture dominated when I was a kid. I play traditional music on an instrument that’s not usually identified as a carrier of melody in that genre. Mostly it’s fiddles, pipes and flutes etc. Everything I do has significant exceptions: I play fingerstyle, but flatpick also. I’m instrumental, except for a few songs. I’m acoustic, except for when I play electric. I play trad music, except when I play Bach or Charles Mingus.
What are your career highlights so far…
I had a carte blanche “TM and Friends” show at Celtic Connections festival in Scotland as I was getting started as a professional musician. I had guests from the Islands of Scotland, Brittany France, Paris…wonderful evening. Paul Reed Smith of PRS Guitars had me open for Carlos Santana at the PRS factory- 2000 people in a marquee in the car park and they didn’t know Carlos was on next! He was side stage as I played and gave me a big hug as I came off and told me I had the same gift as “Jimi, Eric, Stevie Ray…”! Paul brought me back to earth- “How do you know he doesn’t say that to the guy at Pizza Hut?” I performed the Bach Chaccone in Dm – originally for solo violin and about 14 minutes long- at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art on a guitar that had never been played in public before and is now in a glass case in the museum. The matching electric was played by jazz fusion legend John McLaughlin and we were both assured that if we are visiting New York the guitars would be available to play.
Having PRS Guitars release a signature model acoustic was pretty special- for someone self taught from getting a couple of chords per week in the school cloakroom age nine.
What recorded music is available?
I’m not very prolific! The most recent album was recorded live in Berlin/ Dresden with German musician Julia Toaspern available like most of my recordings from Greentrax Records in Scotland. I also have 4 albums released/ co-released with Nashville based Compass Records. There are also tuition courses on Truefire in Florida, Peghead Nation in California, Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop in New York.
Have you performed at Boulevard before? Any memories?
My last gig at Boulevard was a treat! I’ve known Gary Mandell the owner for many years and have a good few familiar faces to see each time I’m there. Last time the only date that fitted with his schedule happened to be the wedding day of his son. So, rather than cancel, Gary hit upon the plan for me to play at the wedding also! I was coming from Reno, NV and was up at 4 a.m. to drive down a smoky Sierra mountain range (it’s either forest fires or snow there) to get to Sacramento airport to fly to LAX where I picked up a rental car and drove to Topanga Canyon for the afternoon wedding, then through traffic to Culver City….for a soundcheck and full house!
What can we expect from the set this time?
I rarely if ever take the stage without a set list…and rarely if ever stick to it. There will be some jigs and reels, some ballads, some laments, some non Celtic fare, some Bach…..who knows?
What else do you have coming up?
I have a great tour of the west coast then in the summer its festivals in Canada and teaching in the States. I’ll hopefully get over to Europe before the end of the year. I have a sporadic second half of the year (short trips to Florida, New York, Michigan, Oklahoma) and 2026 is the opposite- long tours of UK, France, Australia, Canada. There are some recording projects I’ve had in my head that I need to get out there….busy!
Tony McManus performs at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Boulevard Music Go to boulevardmusic.com for more information about the show.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys, and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
There’s a full program of music at the Cinema Bar this week, as usual. The Hot Club of Los Angeles plays every Monday, and Wednesdays are singer/songwriter and open mic night. Go to thecinemabar.com for more info.