Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia, but left town after a year and a half. Raised in 12 different states, he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11.Kottke's 1971 major-label debut, "Mudlark," positioned him somewhat uneasily in the singer/songwriter vein, despite his own wishes to remain an instrumental performer.

Out of over 200 live acts I was fortunate to catch this past year, here are 10 of my favorites:

2012 marks the 30th anniversary of Brian Eno's landmark tribute to the NASA moon landings, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.

The Hi-Dive is anything but expansive. But when Other Lives played on December 14^th, on the last night of their eight month tour, the progressive folk band brought cinematic space and light to the stage with a shimmering performance.  The crowd at the sold out show was clearly enamored with these five, who between them played enough instruments for a small orchestra, and sounded like one, too.

In the build up to their five-night run at The Boulder Theater, Yonder Mountain String Band announced that a guest musician would be sitting in with them each evening.

French–born guitar virtuoso Stephane Wrembel - whose original theme song for Woody Allen’s smash hit Midnight in Paris is currently topping charts - today announces the 2012 Django A Go-Go Festival celebrating the life and music of fellow Frenchman and jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt. The wildly popular event has been an annual New York City tradition since 2005, and this year goes on the road into neighboring markets including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Albany, D.C.

Pan Am: Music From and Inspired By the Original Series, a collection of music from and inspired by the ABC television drama, slated for January 17, 2012 CD release from Verve Music Group, is a non-stop flight back to the early ’60s.