Guitarist David Rogers is set to perform this Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Leo and Leona’s in Bangor. Rogers has been recognized by national news sources such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and has toured all over the United States and Europe.

Rogers first started playing guitar when he was 12 years old. He took both classical and jazz lessons at the same time, switching back and forth each week. He continued lessons through high school and went on to major in guitar and classical guitar. Rogers proceeded to get his master’s and a doctorate in music and spent time studying at the music academy in Basel, Switzerland.

Rogers has also spent time learning to play more historic styles of guitar, which often involve the lute, one of the earliest forms of guitar. He played for 18 years with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and learned music from the 16th-19th century. Rogers explained that “ we had a core group that was able to break away from strictly doing shows at the festival to touring.” It was with this ensemble that he was able to tour in Europe, spending time in Germany, Switzerland, and the UK.

Rogers says that his show in Bangor will bring a little something for everyone. “I start with an East Indian piece, then I do a Rolling stones tune, and then a couple of my own compositions, some classical guitar pieces, and even some Beatles” His shows are made to have a variety of influences, as well as giving listeners a variety of colors, textures, and landscapes. Listeners will be “taken to many different places” Rogers also explained that he tries to make his guitar sound like an orchestra despite it being a solo show. For this tour, he plays a parlor guitar, which is a smaller classical style of guitar, but with an electric guitar feel.

While Rogers currently lives in Oregon, he was originally from the Detroit area and said he has been coming to the Wisconsin area for about 6 years. He has spent the last few weeks touring in Wyoming and after his time here, he will be heading to New England to continue his tour.

If you can’t make it to the show on Wednesday, Rogers has many dates in the area this month. These can be found on his website at https://www.davidrogersguitar.com