No, they’re not a baritone ukuleles. And, no, they’re not flimsy bass guitars. Tenor guitar are something all their own. And, though the four-stringed instruments were originally churned out in the 1920s for tenor banjo players seeking new sounds, today a small but growing group of musicians use them for everything from Celtic music to rock & roll.

For the last couple of years, Mark Roberts has hosted and curated the Tenor Guitar Gathering in Astoria, Oregon. His third annual tenor guitar festival takes place between May 31 and June 3rd, 2012 at venues around that beautiful little town on the Columbia River. There are workshops, jam sessions, concerts and more.

Lowell “Banana” Levinger of the Youngbloods – who not only plays a mean tenor guitar, but sells them through his vintage guitar site – will be a headliner of sorts. But, truth be told, this weekend is all about the guitars.

And, if you look closely, tenors are having a minor renaissance of sorts. Neko Case and Elvis Costello are often seen with their tenors, as is Ani DiFranco. Just a couple of weeks ago, Aaron Embry, an amazing singer-songwriter based out of Ojai, California, came by our offices with his old tenor archtop (video to come). And there’s a serious contingent of old-time players (including Seattle’s Gary Lee Moore) who use tenor guitars to back-up fiddlers. This festival may just be the icing on the tenor guitar comeback cake.

The Tenor Guitar Gathering official site