Sean Mencher and Hugh Bowden

Sean Mencher is, hands down, one of the finest guitarists ever to call Maine home, Chris Busby wrote in The Bollard in his review of Menchers latest album. Despite his towering talent, he's also one of the most humble and gracious souls I've ever met, and yeah, that makes a difference.

That album has a title that gets right to the point: Sean Mencher Plays Guitar. It consists of sixteen solo guitar pickin' instrumental tracks, most of them written by some of Mencher's musical idols, including Merle Haggard, Merle Travis, Hank Williams and Chet Atkins. Mencher loves country and rockabilly so its no surprise that those genres are represented on the CD, but a few of the songs, notably America the Beautiful and Someone to Watch Over Me--give him the opportunity to show a different side of his talent.

https://www.facebook.com/sean.mencher

Hugh Bowden draws from a musical library that includes American standards, folk and country songs and more than 100 of his own compositions.

As a youth in rural Maine, Hugh Bowden taught himself to play the guitar after becoming captivated by the music of legendary guitarist Chet Atkins. Bowden, who now lives in Ellsworth, has performed widely throughout Maine and beyond for several decades, both as a solo fingerstyle guitarist and singer and as a member of several small musical groups, in various styles of music.  “I play music primarily for the joy and comfort it always brings to me,” he says. “And I feel doubly blessed in those occasional moments when my music can evoke those same feelings of joy and comfort in the hearts of others.”