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Dustin Hofsess

As youngsters we are exposed to a myriad of people, ideas and experiences that shape the person we will choose to become. For Dustin, hearing the electric guitar bolting through an amp at the age of 13 was all it took to forever change the course of his life. From that point on, he had a guitar strapped around his neck and an intention to live creatively.

Dustin studied music as a young man with Tim Murray at The Guitar Workshop. Motivated to learn and grow as a musician and as a human being, Dustin has continued to perfect his craft by studying Classical Guitar under Mike Mosley and Charles Vaughn at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Tomo Fujita (former teacher of John Mayer) at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Additionally, he studied Jazz Guitar with Oz Noy, Jim Campilongo, and Joel Harrison in NYC.

For over 20 years, Dustin has balanced his talents of performing, recording, producing and teaching lessons. He has traveled the country from New York to New Orleans to San Francisco, playing music in thousands of venues big and small. He has been invited to play on and engineered hundreds of recording projects with prominent artists including Jim Brock and Tim Cashion. In addition, he has engineered 5 albums of his own projects, including green Light and Automatic Chi. Dustin was invited to compose 4 songs for the soundtrack to the film Walking the West, which won Best Documentary at the 2002 California Independent Film Festival.

Dustin is a versatile musician, playing many instruments in a range of styles. He has played with some of the best musicians of his era, including John Scofield and Grover Washington Jr. He has opened for James Brown, Charlie Hunter, Oteil Burbridge, and Robert Walters. Venues of note include the Knitting Factory in NYC, DBA in New Orleans, the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco and SOHO in Santa Barbara. He even played a stint for the Ringling Brothers Circus!

New projects abound for Dustin in the studio and on the road. The first album from his latest Guitar project, Automatic Chi has just been released and the documentary, The Spirit of Sacajawea, whose soundtrack features Dustin on Guitar and Bass, is soon to be released. House of Fire, a reggae project, and Jazz is Led, modern interpretations of Led Zeppelin tunes, are two of Dustin's latest Bass projects.

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“The real treat is when you hear him settle into his jazz soul. It is there that he finds and defines his genius as a songwriter and artist. Intonation, dynamics, emotion all play a role in his execution. He draws you in, and holds you there. Live: you feel his joy, on disc: you move into his world and feel at home.

His music is universal: it evokes images of a traveler. "Short Stories" is most appropriately named, as each song stands alone in its uniqueness, yet draws images in the mind.

The fact that Hofsess played all guitars, lap steel, electric and upright basses with the exception of a couple of songs, was impressive indeed. But the magic was his ability to have you explore a place that is not your own. Images were created within my mind, clearly defined paintings developed with intricate details as I listened.

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Primary Instrument

Guitar

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Teaching music is a passion of mine. I feel it is a way to give back all that I have received by having music in my life. I currently teach jazz and contemporary guitar at Davidson College and I also give private lessons to students of all ages and levels. Testimonials "A teacher and a friend that listens to your spirit and talents to grow and expand the you in you. Thank you Dustin for the expertise and spirit you helped instill in me. I use it often to remember such a high standard of playing with spirit and groove! I continue to be inspired and share the talent of you with everyone I encounter and hope to inspire the listener's that appreciate you

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