www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 19-25, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 27 MUSIC Looking around Anthony DeMers’ large, sunny studio at the Pacific Grove Art Center, one would never imagine him as a latecomer to the guitar. One side of the room is filled with wood—Indian rosewood, Engelmann spruce—and various tools for the art of making custom guitars. There’s a sander to reduce the surface to the right 2 millimeters, a side bender to give the instrument its curves, along with chisels and saws. He also teaches guitar in the space, and there are chairs for students on the other end of the room, as well as a tea kettle, because serving tea somehow calms the students down. It took DeMers 500 hours to build his first guitar—for his daughter—and he has been crafting instruments ever since. Like many, he is attracted to the fact one can play anywhere, as opposed to his first love, the trumpet, that makes the neighborhood hate you. Between building and teaching, DeMers is determined to take Carmel Guitar Society to the next level. He became president of the organization in January. One step was to increase the number of society-backed concerts from one to six. Last week the organization managed to bring up-and-coming Chinese classical guitarist Hao Yang to SandBox in Sand City. Now Carmel Guitar Society presents its first workshop and retreat. The educational gathering kicked off Wednesday, June 18 and comes with concerts available to the public. The workshop and retreat is at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove. While the lectures and master classes are for 15 attendees, there are concerts available to a larger audience. Two masters will perform for the public. William Kanengiser is a classical guitarist and a leader in musicians’ wellness. Evan Hirschelman is a Los Angeles composer and educator. DeMers has been teaching guitar locally since 2005. He teaches everything from music theory to campfire songs to how to become the next Taylor Swift. His youngest student was 4 when he started; his oldest, 94 years old. “If somebody wants to learn how to play electric guitar, I will teach them,” he says. “Being flexible and accommodating is how you pay your rent.” Carmel Guitar Society features William Kanengiser performing 7pm Thursday, June 19 at SandBox, 440 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. $30-$50. Evan Hirschelman performs 7pm Friday, June 20 at Pacific Grove Art Center, 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. $30. 375-2486, carmelguitarsociety.org. IKHWAN STUDIOS Strings Attached With a new leader, Carmel Guitar Society looks to expand its musical impact. By Agata Popęda Carmel Guitar Society’s president, Anthony DeMers, not only organizes concerts and workshops, he also teaches and even builds craft guitars. www.theannexcarmel.com MASTER MAKERS DINNER: MALA IDEA MEZCAL Thursday, June 26 6:00 PM- 9:30PM This exclusive four-course experience pairs authentic Oaxacan dishes with distinct mezcal expressions.
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