Selwyn Birchwood to Play the Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts
SFSC Performing Arts will present award-winning blues artist, Selwyn Birchwood on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus. The performance is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and South Arts, which advances Southern vitality through the arts.
“While the performance is free, tickets are required,” explained Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “Music lovers can RSVP at sfscARTS.org.”
Although award-winning Florida musician Selwyn Birchwood is firmly rooted in the tradition, the young guitarist, lap steel player, songwriter, and vocalist sets a course for the future of the blues with his visionary, original music. Birchwood, whose band features the pulsating interplay of his blistering guitar with Regi Oliver’s driving baritone sax, deploys a singular sound and style all his own. He calls it “Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues,” an intoxicating mix of deep blues, psychedelic-tinged rock, booty-shaking funk, and sweet Southern soul, played and sung with the fire-and-brimstone fervor of a revival tent preacher with a hellhound on his trail. Tastemaker Americana music magazine, “No Depression,” wrote, “Selwyn Birchwood reaches back in the blues tradition to launch something out of this world.”
Birchwood, with his father from Tobago and his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Fla. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip hop, and metal of the 1990s didn’t move him. Then, he discovered Jimi Hendrix. “He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing,” said Birchwood. As luck would have it, just as he was learning Hendrix’s guitar playing was steeped in blues, legendary bluesman Buddy Guy, a major influence on Hendrix, was scheduled to perform in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. “I was floored,” he recalls. “I completely connected with the blues. I knew this was my path and I had to make this music.” He dove deep, listening to icons including Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and of course, Buddy Guy. “The flood gates opened,” said Birchwood, “And at that point, I started trying to absorb as much as I could.”
At 19, Birchwood met and connected with veteran blues guitarist Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed by the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. Rhodes took the young man under his wing, teaching him not only guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, and how to reach an audience. “Sonny always said, ‘Play what’s in your heart.’ I’ve never lost sight of that,” said Birchwood.
Birchwood treasured his time with Rhodes but was adamant about completing his college studies. Rhodes, as a tribute to Birchwood’s drive and talent, made it clear to the young musician that he would hold the rhythm guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. Birchwood, through hard work and scholarships, received his MBA from the University of Tampa. Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood created The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010, featuring seasoned, veteran musicians who had chosen to play with the new kid; a testament to Birchwood’s talent and leadership skills.
In 2011, the self-released, self-produced “FL Boy” helped the band land gigs outside of their Florida base, where they were already becoming local heroes. After winning the 2013 International Blues Challenge in Memphis (beating 150 other bands), Birchwood found doors swinging open. He took a giant step forward in 2014 with his Alligator Records debut album, “Don’t Call No Ambulance.” Rave reviews ran in publications from “Rolling Stone” to “The Wall Street Journal,” from “The Chicago Tribune” to “The San Francisco Chronicle.” The album won both the Living Blues Award and the Blues Music Award (BMA) for Best New Artist Debut. He followed in 2016 with fan-favorite “Pick Your Poison” and, in 2021, with the groundbreaking “Living in a Burning House.” He won the coveted BMA Song of The Year Award for that album’s “I’d Climb Mountains.”
The Selwyn Birchwood Band tours nonstop. They have performed at The Chicago Blues Festival, Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Cruise. Internationally, they have appeared at The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Jazz a Vienne in France, the Rawa Blues Festival in Poland, the Moulin Blues Festival in the Netherlands, the Ottawa Blues Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as well as playing concerts in Spain, Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, and Mexico.
The Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts is located at 600 West College Drive on the SFSC Highlands Campus. Tickets can be ordered online at sfscARTS.org, by phone at ext. 7178, or in person at the SFSC Box Office.
