Gary Blanchard
beloved, local musician
Here is most of a letter I sent to Yvonne deVilliers of Luna Guitars. Her kindness to an elderly unknown musician deserves to be recognized.
Dear Yvonne,
I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate the guitars that Luna makes, the kindness you have shown me, and the soul of Luna Guitars. It seems odd, especially in this day and time, to refer to a company having a soul, but, thanks to you, Luna not only has a soul, it has a beautiful one. It is reflected in the beauty and imagination of the guitar design. It is demonstrated in the concept of the Luna Tribe. It stands out in the inspiring postings on Facebook. I have seen it personally in the generosity you have demonstrated in supporting me and my music.
Growing up hearing the words of Jesus (who I saw as a socialist deity), reading of Gandhi when I was ten, and then hearing the music of Pete Seeger gave me a unique foundation on which to build my music. I have never been a commercial artist; a lot of my music would never make it on the pop music stations. Rather than play a lot of cover tunes at bars and clubs and make a somewhat decent living (or at least a second income), I instead chose to write songs that were, I hoped, thoughtful, inspiring, hopeful, and positive; I always kept within the musical range that spoke to me.
Several years ago, while shopping for cheap guitars that my mother-in-law wanted to give my nephews, I saw an intriguing guitar hanging on the wall. It was a sunburst design and had a Celtic knot moon around the sound hole. The fret markers were the phases of the moon, and there was a beautiful quarter moon and star logo inlay on the headstock. I picked it up, played a few minutes, and was immediately smitten. A couple of weeks later I went back and brought it home. Having played guitar since 1966, I felt that I had finally found my guitar.
I went online and learned more about Luna. At that time you were preparing the Musicians on a Mission campaign; that fit right in with my style and I soon had my t-shirt and did a video. Then I found a cheap, used 12-string and fell back in love with the 12-string sound. I immediately decided to get a Luna 12-string, but all your models had cutaways and onboard electronics, things I felt I could not abide. So I bought several different 12-strings, hoping to find “my” 12-string.
Thankfully, last year, I realized that my hangups over cutaways and electronics served only to keep me away from the guitars that were made for me. Sadly, that Muse Burst was gone, but I got a Muse 12-string and a used Dolphin Oracle 6-string. I was once again at peace. The guitars helped me to expand my music while remaining true to myself. Soon, thanks to your generosity, I had the Henna TLE and the Blue Eclipse. The Dolphin Oracle went to my niece. Once I realized that I needed a more traditional looking 6-string acoustic for things like the New England Folk Festival, you were kind enough to come to my rescue again. In a simple twist of fate, I was once again an owner of a Muse Burst, the guitar that started it all.
I can’t begin to tell you how much the guitars have inspired the music. I feel I am in a new period of creativity, one that is a product of age, wisdom, and beautiful instruments that inspire me aurally and visually.
I appreciate that your support of my music does nothing for your bottom line. The aging hippie / senior citizen market is not a big one, and I do not have great name recognition that you can use to your advantage. That makes your kindness all the more special.
I said at the beginning of this long epistle that words cannot express my appreciation; all these words later I find that to be true. I hope the CDs bring you some joy, and I hope you find Carol’s book as inspiring as I do. Thanks again for your kindness and your beautiful soul.
In peace,
Gary
Dear Yvonne,
I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate the guitars that Luna makes, the kindness you have shown me, and the soul of Luna Guitars. It seems odd, especially in this day and time, to refer to a company having a soul, but, thanks to you, Luna not only has a soul, it has a beautiful one. It is reflected in the beauty and imagination of the guitar design. It is demonstrated in the concept of the Luna Tribe. It stands out in the inspiring postings on Facebook. I have seen it personally in the generosity you have demonstrated in supporting me and my music.
Growing up hearing the words of Jesus (who I saw as a socialist deity), reading of Gandhi when I was ten, and then hearing the music of Pete Seeger gave me a unique foundation on which to build my music. I have never been a commercial artist; a lot of my music would never make it on the pop music stations. Rather than play a lot of cover tunes at bars and clubs and make a somewhat decent living (or at least a second income), I instead chose to write songs that were, I hoped, thoughtful, inspiring, hopeful, and positive; I always kept within the musical range that spoke to me.
Several years ago, while shopping for cheap guitars that my mother-in-law wanted to give my nephews, I saw an intriguing guitar hanging on the wall. It was a sunburst design and had a Celtic knot moon around the sound hole. The fret markers were the phases of the moon, and there was a beautiful quarter moon and star logo inlay on the headstock. I picked it up, played a few minutes, and was immediately smitten. A couple of weeks later I went back and brought it home. Having played guitar since 1966, I felt that I had finally found my guitar.
I went online and learned more about Luna. At that time you were preparing the Musicians on a Mission campaign; that fit right in with my style and I soon had my t-shirt and did a video. Then I found a cheap, used 12-string and fell back in love with the 12-string sound. I immediately decided to get a Luna 12-string, but all your models had cutaways and onboard electronics, things I felt I could not abide. So I bought several different 12-strings, hoping to find “my” 12-string.
Thankfully, last year, I realized that my hangups over cutaways and electronics served only to keep me away from the guitars that were made for me. Sadly, that Muse Burst was gone, but I got a Muse 12-string and a used Dolphin Oracle 6-string. I was once again at peace. The guitars helped me to expand my music while remaining true to myself. Soon, thanks to your generosity, I had the Henna TLE and the Blue Eclipse. The Dolphin Oracle went to my niece. Once I realized that I needed a more traditional looking 6-string acoustic for things like the New England Folk Festival, you were kind enough to come to my rescue again. In a simple twist of fate, I was once again an owner of a Muse Burst, the guitar that started it all.
I can’t begin to tell you how much the guitars have inspired the music. I feel I am in a new period of creativity, one that is a product of age, wisdom, and beautiful instruments that inspire me aurally and visually.
I appreciate that your support of my music does nothing for your bottom line. The aging hippie / senior citizen market is not a big one, and I do not have great name recognition that you can use to your advantage. That makes your kindness all the more special.
I said at the beginning of this long epistle that words cannot express my appreciation; all these words later I find that to be true. I hope the CDs bring you some joy, and I hope you find Carol’s book as inspiring as I do. Thanks again for your kindness and your beautiful soul.
In peace,
Gary
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