Gary Cain at Adair’s Saloon

Cain’s guitar work on stage has been described by reviewers as “genre-bending”, “jaw-dropping” and “the real deal”, but the foundation of his virtuosic style was laid via marathon practice sessions as a youngster in his parents’ basement. “Back then it’s all I would do some days – sometimes 13, 14 hours a day. I’d have to be reminded to eat.” says Cain. Long days poring over the musical styles of blues legends gave him a deep respect for the music, but he’s not beholden to it. “I’m not a purist.” he says, “What made those players so great was what they brought ot the music to make it their own. Albert King was the best Albert King there’ll ever be. You gotta do your own thing with it.”

– garycainband