THE GEORGE CARVER QUARTET

GEORGE CARVER is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist currently residing in Austin, Texas. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, inspired equally by futurist R. Buckminster Fuller and bluesman Muddy Waters. While a child, during the dictatorship of Salazar, Carver and his family began to travel to Portugal. He fell in love with grimy Lisbon of the 1960’s and 70’s, and its music called Fado. After a stint in college and a few rootless years of hitchhiking, songwriting and playing, he took up residence in New York City. He sold guitars to the stars on the famous block of shops along 48th street. As a rehearsal engineer, he worked with a long list of artists including Whitney Houston, Joe Cocker, Duran Duran, Aerosmith, PIL, and Bob Dylan, as they rehearsed, cut demos or played label showcases. He composed and made music for film and TV out of studios on Times Square, as well producing and recording diverse artists like modern improviser Cooper-Moore, shakuhachi master Nyoraku, and drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Moving to Austin in 1991 he took up the eight string (non-pedal) steel guitar and became immersed in Texas Swing. Carver has written and played with a long list of Austin luminaries including Gurf Morlix, Ponty Bone, Cornell Hurd, Papa Mali, Mark Rubin, RC Banks, Pat Byrne and Silas Lowe. Through the renowned Lisbon musician Gustavo Roriz, Carver was introduced to Beau Bledsoe of Ensemble Iberica, who among his many fretted instrument skills plays the Guitarra Portuguesa. With the end of Covid they finally were able to record an album of Carver’s songs in a fado style. Along with Turkish cellist, Dr. Ezgi Karakus, they have formed the trio, Fados Americanos. The group has now performed in the US, Canada and Portugal and will continue to tour in the years to come. In addition to performing often in Kansas City and Buffalo, he fronts an organ trio Wednesdays in South Austin at Sam’s Town Point. Tickets are $20 at the door, or online. Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.