Bryan Rahija

Bryan Rahija plays the Sellwood Farmers Market on Saturday, October 17, starting at 11 AM. It's a solo set of fingerstyle instrumentals, so it's just him and his guitar.

If you're not familiar with his work, it helps to know where he's coming from. Rahija is a Portland guitarist who pulls from two very different traditions: the country blues of the North Carolina Piedmont and old-school classical. That fingerstyle approach means he's playing melody, bass, and rhythm all at once, and the two influences—the loose, syncopated feel of the Piedmont blues and the more structured lines of classical guitar—sit side by side in the same set.

He's also a known quantity in the city's folk scene. For years he was part of Bombadil, the indie folk band that built up a cult following over a long run. This is a different thing entirely—solo instrumentals rather than a full band with singing—but it comes from that same background. If you've followed Bombadil, this is a look at the guitar work that sits at the center of it.

It's a morning show, so it's something you can catch while you're out doing your Saturday market run. Admission is free, and it kicks off at 11 AM at the Sellwood Farmers Market in Portland.