Forty years ago Phil Heywood moved to town on the heels of a tour with guitarist Leo Kottke, and he has been treating Twin Cities audiences ever since with his ear-bending clarity of tone and irresistible sense of rhythm. Over the years he has garnered a National Fingerpicking Championship, top prize at the American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival, and appearances on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion. Known for his lyrical, soul-satisfying guitar instrumentals, he can draw listeners in with his voice as well, singing in a warm, plainspoken baritone that blends seamlessly with his rock-solid guitar work.

Dakota Dave Hull has been a part of the acoustic music scene for well over 50 years. With his dazzling array of acoustic guitars—flattops, resophonics, archtops, guitar-banjos, piccolos and baritones—he’s performed all over the United States, Canada and in  at least a dozen other countries, including Japan, where he typically spends a month every year. He’s released over 20 recordings (all of which are in print), a book of his Classic Ragtime compositions, and has lost count of how many recordings he’s worked on as a sideman.