When I got married in 2014, I went out looking for a guitarist. Why not? It's my favorite instrument, and this was the one thing I had creative control of for our small, intimate ceremony. A private affair with family and friends, and a subdued, solo, fingerstyle guitarist was perfect for this type of intimate event. I found the right guy. David Naidu is a guitarist, who resides in Orlando, FL., and performs for private events for hire. His list of tunes to choose from for your event was long and diverse... we went with a mix of Bach and traditional with a sprinkling of a BeeGees tune. It went perfectly. The entire time I wanted to break away and talk shop.... but this was an important date. Afterwards we chatted a bit and even friended him on Facebook. Come to find out... he had just released his first solo recording, Going Places. I reached out to David to catch up, finally talk shop, and he was gracious with his time. Here's our convo. Enjoy!

When I sent Steve an invite to be on my podcast, he responded with enthusiasm. I expected that type of response from a guy like Steve. On his YouTube channel, Manotick Stringworks (based in Manotick, Canada near Ottawa), he seems to approach every project with an enthusiasm that's somewhat contagious.

When one of his videos showed up in my "curated" YouTube feed one morning over a cup of coffee, I was instantly hooked. His vast knowledge and genuine care go into every project. I was honored to have him as a guest. Enjoy!

When I decided to create this podcast, and sat down to make a list of guests I'd like to converse with, one name rose to the top- Steve (Leo) Sanders. Steve handed me my first guitar at the age of 10, and I never looked back. His wealth of knowledge of the musicians and bands he hung out with growing up in Jamestown, North Dakota in the 60s and then Minneapolis Minnesota in the 70s 'til now, is immense. He has an amazing memory for names and stories. If you're from either of those areas, and have hung out with musicians from there, you may recognize a few of them. Steve is a guitar player. He may digress and refer to himself as a "noodler", but that doesn't apply here. What matters is that, at one point in his life, he heard a guitar, picked up a guitar, and played a guitar. These are the folks I want to chat with. Those that found a connection with the guitar, in one form or another, and became a member of the tribe.

Who am I? What the heck is this about? What am I doing? Take a listen and find out. I'll discuss everything related guitar, and you may enjoy it. Thank you.