AARON BROWNWOOD
There are instruments that demand attention, and others that quietly change the temperature of a room. Aaron Brownwood has spent more than 20 years behind the steel guitar, coaxing out the bends, slides, and beautifully lonesome notes that once drifted through Hawaiian hotels, roadside honky-tonks, and Western dance halls. Based in San Diego, Aaron specializes in vintage Hawaiian music, western swing, classic country, Americana, and traditional steel guitar, performing throughout Southern California at resorts, weddings, private events, restaurants, luaus, Polynesian cultural events, and tiki venues.
Aaron can work a room several different ways. As a solo steel guitarist, he can provide understated background music for a cocktail hour, resort, or dinner. Put him alongside a band and he moves easily between lap steel, pedal steel, and dobro, bringing the unmistakable sound of classic country, Hawaiian steel, and western swing into the mix. He has collaborated with more than 40 bands and artists and contributed to dozens of professional recording projects, giving him the experience to know when to step forward—and when the right note played at the right moment is enough.
There’s also some history behind all those strings. Aaron is a steel guitar instructor and educator with a deep knowledge of the instrument’s tunings, techniques, players, and musical traditions. He teaches musicians of all skill levels and presents educational demonstrations exploring the steel guitar’s journey through Hawaiian music, country, western swing, and American roots music. Whether he’s booked for a San Diego wedding, corporate event, resort, luau, tiki event, recording session, or live concert, Aaron offers something increasingly difficult to fake: the genuine article.
