Autoharp champ plays at Port Cape

"Everything I do I do different than anybody else does," he says. Dan Wiethop, Cape Girardeau native, will be playing regularly at Port Cape in downtown and will emcee the main stage at this year's City of Roses Music Festival.

After teaching himself to play the guitar and harmonica, Wiethop went on to play the autoharp and in 1989 Wiethop received both the Autoharp National Championship in Avoca, Iowa, and the Autoharp Southern National Championship at Mountain View, Arkansas. In 1983, He finished third in the Autoharp International Championship in Winfield, Kansas.

Wiethop describes how the autoharp was a very popular instrument before the 20th century but died out due to the rise of the phonograph. Weithop plays the 36-string instrument like no other, using a unique strum he taught himself. When it comes to playing the harmonica, Weithop uses a more bluesy approach than most country musicians do.

While living in Cape Girardeau, Weithop played in a group called the Memorial String Band, which included Bear Long on an upright bass and later the late Doyle Hendrix on harmonica. They played Silver Dollar City and bluegrass festivals, performing comedy songs.

In 1988, Weithop moved to West Fork, Arkansas and turned a century-old building into the Little O' Oprey. There he and other musicians played for audiences of up to 220 people on weekend nights. Performing recently with The Cat'z Meow, a swing dance group, Weithop played guitar, autoharp, harmonica, drums and bones. He performed along with a partner who played piano with his right hand and bass with the left.

Wiethop explains how "there are too many darn good songs other people have done," when he describes why he doesn't play originals. He enjoys playing songs by his favorite songwriter, John Prine, and states that "Most of the songs I do, I don't know who wrote them." Like the song "Send Me Off to Glory in a Glad Bag."

Weithop is happy to be back in Cape playing a regular gig. He feels musicians get more respect here.