Blues guitarist Dan Patlansky packed Kirstenbosch in Cape Town with 3000 people to launch his new album, 20 Stones.

He opened with the gentle, instrumental title track off the new album while sitting alone, acoustic guitar in hand, on a barstool. When he reached for his 50 year-old cherry red Fender Strat, the crowd got restless at the opening Rage-Against-the-Machine-like riff from “Bring the world to its Knees”. Now with full band, he bawled out the opening lyrics, “I feel time is running / Running to make a stand/ Many years were spent now / Working on a master plan”.

Dan’s show came with a few bells and whistles: a solo opening act from the rising blues girl, Natasha Meister, guest appearances by Springbok Nude Girls guitarist Theo Crous and Prime Circle’s Ross Learmonth.

Having Learmonth come on stage impressed the crowd. And at the time it seemed like a crafty PR plan to throw a more commercially acclaimed star in the mix to accompany the blues driven niche act. Crous, who also mixed the 20 Stones album, provided even more excitement with his lively head banging and even played a guitar solo with his teeth (“pickup muffing”) on “Daddy’s Old Gun”.