SCOTTISH alt.blues troubadour Dave Arcari returns to Newcastle this weekend to appear at Ouseburn Rock & Blues Festival as part of an ongoing tour to promote his latest single.

Whisky Trail reveals another side to Arcari who is known mainly for his slashing slide guitar work, showcasing his banjo playing and a mellower side to his songwriting and performance. It’s available to stream and download via Spotify, Apple Music and all digital services.

Arcari has recently returned from a run of shows in Netherlands and Germany and after his Newcastle appearance embarks on his sixth USA tour through October into November. On his return he plays a series of Scottish dates before bringing his 2018 live schedule to a close with a short tour in Estonia and Latvia in December.

“Actually, the banjo has featured in my live set for a while, but I only had a couple of songs on it,” says Arcari. “And while they (Still Friends and Good Moonshine) have become crowd favourites, I felt it was becoming too predictable that I’d play these songs when I picked up the banjo.

“So I was keen to come up with a new banjo song that was a little different. This one is based on the story of Glengoyne single malt whisky….my local distillery. There’s a few more in the pipeline for both slide guitar and banjo.”

Arcari’s last full length release – Live at Memorial Hall – hit the streets last autumn on double 180g coloured vinyl and digipak CD as well as download/streaming via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and the usual digital services.

Arcari has recently been taken onboard by Reunion Blues Gig Bags as an official artist, another partnership which sees the premium instrument case manufacturer join Arcari’s list of endorsees alongside National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Newtone Strings, G7th Capos and Diamond Bottlenecks.

n Dave Acari, Ouseburn Rock & Blues Festival, The Cluny, Newcastle, Saturday, August 25, 7.30pm. Tickets from venue.