“I can’t talk about Carlos Paredes without sitting up straight in my chair.” This phrase by Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) encapsulates the profound impact of Carlos Paredes, whose Portuguese guitar became a cornerstone of national culture and whose legacy transcends borders and genres. On the centenary of his birth, Ben Chasny and Norberto Lobo come together for a series of concerts celebrating, in their own way, the composer from Coimbra.

Far from offering a literal interpretation of Paredes’s work, the two guitarists evoke the spirit and influence of the master, just as they honour figures like John Fahey and Robbie Basho. Between Chasny’s six strings and Lobo’s other six, the twelve strings of Paredes come to life. The tour will pass through venues such as gnration (Braga), Convento São Francisco (Coimbra), Auditório de Espinho (Espinho), Teatro das Figuras (Faro), Culturgest (Lisbon), and the Tremor festival (Azores), where they participated in an artistic residency.

Ben Chasny was instrumental in introducing Carlos Paredes to an international audience. He dedicated Lisboa, the closing track of School of the Flower (2005), to him and facilitated the re-release of Guitarra Portuguesa (1967) and Movimento Perpétuo (1971). With a prolific discography under the Six Organs of Admittance project, Chasny is a key figure in experimental music, blending folk traditions with the American primitive guitar style.

Norberto Lobo, on the other hand, carries the essence of Paredes in his work. His debut album, Mudar de Bina (2007), is a direct tribute to the master. Tireless in his reinvention of the guitar, Lobo is now one of the most respected guitarists of his generation, always seeking new sounds and forms of expression.