Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- David Tilmon

David Tilmon has lived in Colorado his entire life. Growing up, his parents encouraged him and his siblings to try something musical. He remembers first trying piano, but taking lessons and practicing, he never connected with the instrument. His parents still encouraged him to pick an instrument, so he decided to try playing a guitar in their house that hadn’t been played for a while. He started lessons with an instructor who exposed him to various kinds of music, encouraging his interests and guiding him through styles he hadn’t known about before.Tilmon remembers a turning point for him being the first time he heard the song “Classical Gas.” When the song, an instrumental piece written and originally performed by Mason Williams, played on the radio, he realized that the guitar could still be a powerful instrument by itself. From there, he shifted into fingerstyle playing and focused on instrumental music. Currently based in Berthoud, his instrumental stylings blend folk, classical, jazz, Americana, and even rock influences. He’s worked instrumental interpretations of acts such as The Beatles, Queen, and Talking Heads into his shows, taken inspiration from guitarists such as Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins, and written original instrumental compositions, releasing his debut album Formative in 2021.Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here. Support the showThank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected] Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected] Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected] inquiries: [email protected] to our website for all of the latest news. Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.earListen and watch on YouTube today.Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.Thank you for listening!