Summoning The Divine In Nature: Brian Henke’s Guitar

Known as the guru of finger style guitar, Brian Henke is a self-taught guitarist, composer, and a graduate of Lakewood High School. Henke finds inspiration mainly from nature, but also from his own human reaction to the divine in everything around and within us. Henke brings his unique acoustic guitar style to Lakewood Public Library on Sunday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m. in Lakewood Public Library’s Main Auditorium. But before he does, he sits down to answer some questions about himself and his work.

When did you first realize that the guitar was the instrument for you?

I received my first real guitar, a Harmony Stella, on the evening of my 13th birthday. It was like the heavens opened up and all the angels were singing.

What do you love about the guitar?

Well, it's the kind of instrument that you can learn the basics of in about two weeks and be playing songs for your friends, but can never be totally mastered in one lifetime, because there's just too many different ways to play it and too many different kinds of music you can play on it. No matter how much I know about playing guitar, I too am still a "student" as well.

What do you enjoy most about Lakewood?

One of the things I’ve always liked about Lakewood is that it's a "walking city". You can walk anywhere, any time and find a park, store, restaurant, or coffeehouse in a short time and distance.

Can you describe your technique and how it has developed?

I am self-taught, although I was always lucky enough to play in bands and jam with great guitarists when I was younger. I watched them and learned from them as well. Because no one was there to tell me it was wrong or impossible, I learned a lot of unusual techniques. Things like using both my right thumb and index finger at the same time for fast tremolo picking, or using my pinky finger of my left hand to pick with while holding down chords and using my right hand to play harmonics and other things at the same time.

You’ve likened your music to a “big pot of stew”.  Can you talk about some of the influences on your music?

Everything from classical, new age, folk, pop, progressive rock, country and bluegrass.

What other performers or composers do you admire?

My favorite composer of all time is Beethoven, but I'm also really fond of Lennon and McCartney, Pete Townshend and Roger Waters and David Gilmour.

What’s the most interesting feedback you’ve ever gotten for one of your songs?

I think the most touching for me would have been when I was told that my music kept someone sane who was stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. There was also the man who told me that after the horrible things he saw in Vietnam that he had been unable to think of and remember his childhood until he heard me play that day.

If you could leave your audience with a message, what would you hope that message would be?

Wow, that's a tough question...but only because I hope that I've shared so many different things with the people that I've played and written my music for. I hope that they are able to find both a measure of peace and inspiration. I hope that maybe people are just a little more in touch with both the child and the divine within themselves. Mainly, I hope that they walk away smiling...

Brian Henke’s concert takes place in the Main Library Auditorium at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 30. Admission is free and open to the public.