Leo Kottke is quite the character. During his recent show at The Birchmere, the acoustic guitar virtuoso’s stage banter went all over the place — at one point, he somehow got to talking about aardvarks. (Perhaps anteaters would have made more sense.) And yet, somehow, it worked, making for an entertaining evening of originals, covers, and instrumentals.

Kottke has a special connection to the DMV. Leo grow up all over the place — 12 states in total. One of those places was Muskegon, Michigan, where his father was head of special services at the VA, a job he described as “entertainment director.” When Leo was in high school, his family moved to the area. It was here that he got his first 12-string guitar, as well as his first paying job. The 12-string guitar, he explained at The Birchmere on April 14, was actually a bajo sexto, an instrument he described as “more of a snare drum with a pitch.” It was also while living here that he enlisted in the Navy, because “I wanted to be underwater.”

Leo’s tenure in the Navy came to an end when he was discharged for hearing loss. It was the first of what would seem to be several challenging circumstances for a musician. Later, he developed tendon problems in his hand, which forced him to change his playing style. Despite these obstacles, Kottke has persevered and had an enduring career in music for nearly 60 years.

The show kicked off with “From Pizza Towers to Defeat,” an original song from Leo’s collaboration with Phish bassist Mike Gordon. (The two have made three albums together, including Kottke’s latest release, 2020’s Noon, which came after a 14-year hiatus from recording.) Of the next song, “From The Cradle to the Grave,” Leo explained, “Those lyrics come from the pen of Ron Nagle, who was largely known for his pottery.” After that, Kottke played an instrumental, followed by his song “Julie’s House.” Between songs, he told the audience, “I’m having a good time,” and then he did another instrumental.

Watch Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon perform an NPR Tiny Desk (from Home) Concert on YouTube:

Next up was “Louise” by Paul Siebel, a great songwriter who Leo told the audience suffered from “crippling stage fright.” After making his one original album, the stellar Woodsmoke and Oranges, Siebel left the music industry. Kottke met Siebel when he was working as a baker. The show also included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Corinna, Corinna” and the instrumental “Jack Fate.” He finished off the evening with his own “Stand In My Shoes.”

Kottke’s guitar work was, as expected a highlight of the show; he’s a groundbreaking fingerstyle player whose style has influenced artists as different as bluegrass icon Tony Rice, alternative rockers the Meat Puppets, and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. The instrumentals really showed off both his technical and expressive abilities. But he’s no slouch as a songwriter, and he has an expressive, pleasant baritone singing voice. Leo doesn’t give himself enough credit as a singer; his own assessment of his voice as “geese farts on a muggy day” is way, way too harsh. Aside from the music itself, his offbeat personality was an attraction in its own right!

Here are some photos of Leo Kottke performing at The Birchmere on April 14, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller — thank you, James!