Vancouver transforms into Guitar Town tomorrow night

Whether you're a fan of exquisitely rendered acoustic-guitar compositions or more into the slashing Telecaster stylings of Keith Richards, there's a six-string-heavy gig lined up for you in Vancity tomorrow (Saturday, December 18).

Over at the St. James Hall in Kits there's a show called 3D Guitar, in which three guys with first names starting with D—Don Alder, Doug Towle, and David Sinclair—display their virtuoso chops and songwriting skills on acoustic guitar. Alder was recently showcased in Ear of Newt after winning the Guitar Player magazine-sponsored Guitar Superstar competition in September, but Towle (the previous year's finalist) and Sinclair (noted for his work with Sarah McLachlan and Michael Bublé) are no slouches either.

For those who like their Saturday nights a little more raucous, there's a Keith Richards Birthday Extravaganza at the Fairview Pub. A fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, it features performances by Rich Hope, the British Columbians, Chris Read and the Poolhall Gospel, War Baby, Hard Rock Miners, the Rentalmen, and Gathering Moss. Hope is the local blues-rock sensation whose last album, Rich Hope Is Gonna Whip It On Ya, made my Top 10 of 2009. I've also heard good things about Chris Read and the Poolhall Gospel, which features former gonzo journalist for The Nerve, Carl Spackler.

If you can't decide which show to see, check them both out! 3D Guitar kicks off at 8 p.m., and the Keith Richards bash doesn't get going until 10, so there'll still be plenty of Chuck Berry-style riffs to go around by the time you get there.

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