About this Event
1 Socca
Chickpea crepes topped with smoked eggplant spread, sauteed summer squashes and red pepper sauce
2 Corn chowder. A delightful tomato based chowder with corn and peppers and cashew cream.
3 Tempeh kabobs (with homemade fava bean/basmati tempeh), rice pilaf, sauteed collards, house pickles, homemade flatbreads, plus more.
Dessert Ice cream sundaes. Featuring our renowned cashew based ice creams .
Pistachio ice cream, strawberry sauce, pineapple sauce, candied walnuts, waffle cone bowl
ABOUT TEJA GERKEN
“Test of Time is a sonic marvel, from top to bottom” – Blair Jackson, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
“Gerken’s technical facility is obvious, his performances impeccable, and his tones gorgeous”
– Barry Cleveland, guitarplayer.com.
San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Teja Gerken has enchanted audiences ever since coming onto the
acoustic fingerstyle scene in the late 1990s. Initially influenced by guitarists such as John Renbourn,
Michael Hedges, and Leo Kottke, Teja ultimately began weaving together his diverse musical interest into
a style that is his own, releasing his debut album On My Way in 1999. In the two decades since, Teja has
fine-tuned his sets to include original compositions, Celtic traditionals, classical pieces, jazz standards,
and some favorite tunes by his fingerstyle guitar peers, several of which are included on 2005’s Postcards.
Teja’s latest release is 2024’s Test of Time, and he also collaborated with fellow Bay Area guitarist Doug
Young on 2020’s Duets.
“Employing an impressive battery of artisan guitars, Teja and Doug produce a wonderful range of
sonorities and musical directions that updates the classic chemistry of the "Bert & John" (Jansch &
Renbourn) recordings of the sixties - a treat for fans of both acoustic guitar music and the art of lutherie.”
—Alex de Grassi
“[Test of Time] is as original it is beautiful; with satisfying playing technique, compositions, and
atmosphere. Fans of acoustic guitar can’t wish for a more all around pleasing gift.” - Akustik Gitarre,
Germany
“Duets represents modern fingerstyle guitar at the highest level” – Acoustic Guitar
“Postcards is a very versatile album with varied skilled techniques, brilliant melody lines, appealing
moods of a superb guitarist who knows to absorb a listener.”- Bridge Guitar Reviews
Teja is at ease in performance settings ranging from intimate house concerts to cafes, clubs, concert halls,
and festival stages. He has performed at many of the Bay Area’s top acoustic music venues, such as the
Freight & Salvage, Great American Music Hall, Backroom, 142 Throckmorton Theater, and more. Venues
that have hosted Teja outside of his home turf include SOhO in Santa Barbara, California, the Colony
Cafe in Woodstock, New York, Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts the Argenta Acoustic Music
series in Little Rock, Arkansas, Artenschutztheater in Berlin, Germany, Club Passage in Dresden,
Germany, the A38 in Budapest, Hungary, L’Inoui, in Luxembourg, and many more. Teja has shared the
stage with fellow guitarists including Alex de Grassi, Andy McKee, Peter Lang, Tim Sparks, Peter Finger,
Muriel Anderson, Jacques Stotzem, and Eric Skye, has opened shows for John Renbourn, Adrian Legg,
Kaki King, Adrian Belew and others. Teja has performed at taught at guitar festivals including the
Healdsburg Guitar Festival, Winters Guitar Festival, Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration, and
the Dresden Guitar Festival, and has participated in Germany’s International Guitar Night tour.
Teja’s compositions for music libraries is represented by BMG Production and Pollen Music, and his
works have been used by clients including Adobe, Kelloggs, and Zyrtec. Teja has performed at San
Francisco’s Dreamforce conference and other corporate events, and is available for private engagements.
Besides performing and recording, Teja has also written extensively about guitars, guitarists, and related
subjects. He was a senior editor at Acoustic Guitar magazine from 1997 to 2013, and he has contributed to
Guitar Player, Premier Guitar, Fretboard Journal, Akustik Gitarre, Gitarre & Bass, and other publications.
In 2014, he co-founded Peghead Nation, an online e-leaning environment with video instruction for
guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, fiddle, bass, and dobro.
A Few Facts:
- Born in Essen, Germany, in 1970
- Got his first guitar at the age of six and learned his first chords from his dad
- First formal lessons at the Freies Musikzentrum München, in Munich, Germany.
- Moved to California in 1986.
- Lived in the guitar-making town of Paracho, Mexico, where he built a classical guitar.
- Private studies with George Quirin, Peter Greenwood, Jim Fletcher, Peppino D’Agostino, Jeff
Massanari, and Duck Baker.
- Has managed a guitar shop (Tall Toad Music, in Petaluma, California)
- Was the Gear Editor, then Senior Editor for Acoustic Guitar magazine from 1997 – 2013
- Wrote The Taylor Guitar Book, and has contributed to several other books.
- Has hosted two long-running monthly Acoustic Guitar Showcases at San Francisco’s Bazaar Cafe (2001
- 2013), and Fairfax’ Sleeping Lady (2009 - 2015).
- Is a former radio host/DJ for KUSF’s Guitar Journey’s program.
- Co-founded Peghead Nation in 2014, where he hosts the Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop, demos
instruments, and is the company’s producer.
- Owns a lot of guitars, but you’re most-likely to see him with a Martin Custom Shop OM, a Lowden
O10, a Taylor 355 12-string, a Kenny Hill classical, a Mario DeSio baritone, or a National Tricone.
CONTACT AND INFO:
www.tejagerken.com, www.youtube.com/tejaguitar,
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1131 24th St, 1131 24th Street, Oakland, United States
USD 119.22
