Evento

The 318 Cafe presents Billy McLaughlin with special guest Rhett Butler

Billy McLaughlin is recognized as an innovative performer and composer who embraces the advantages of acoustic guitar amplification, unorthodox techniques and altered tunings while celebrating a gift for melody. His enormous yet fluid acoustic guitar tone has carried him around the world, to Billboards Top-Ten Chart and most recently through a devastating medical disorder called focal dystonia. McLaughlin has had to re-learn the guitar left-handed and is in the early stages of what might be described as one of the great musical-comeback stories of all time. His story is the subject of an award-winning documentary film called Changing Keys Billy McLaughlin and the Mysteries of Dystonia. He's been selling out shows at the 318 Cafe since 2006.

Rhett Butler is the Obsessive-Compulsive Guitarist. In 1987 he received his first guitar for Christmas. As his primary antidote against the pain and fear that he felt through his brother's bouts with cancer, Rhett retreated into the instrument. What blossomed was a fiery work ethic that is reflected in his mastery of multiple styles and his passionate performances. Rhett was admitted to the prestigious jazz program at the University of North Texas in 1993. Early on, Rhett developed a trademark hammer-on style that allows him to play two guitars at once by fingering each of their fret boards, coaxing filigreed harmonies and shimmering melodies without needing to strum. Though Rhett is most well known for playing two guitars at once, don't make the mistake of trying to classify him as a gimmick performer. He regularly features five or six different guitars during his performances. When he is not performing, Rhett is very involved in the fight against cancer. The documentary, "Chasing Miracles", that Rhett made about the life of his brother Ashley, a 28 year brain tumor survivor, was featured in the Dallas International Film Festival in 2011. His book, "The Patient and Caregiver's Guide to Cancer" is an Amazon Best Seller in two categories, oncology and caregiving.