Zephyr Acoustic Productions
David Alderson
email: david@zapmusic.org

It's something of a well-kept secret that Phil Heywood is one of the premier acoustic guitarists working today. His list of achievements includes a stint with internationally renowned guitarist Leo Kottke, who, after hearing Heywood for the first time, promptly asked him to join his tour so the two could play duets. Heywood is a former National Fingerpicking Champion (1986) and winner of the American Fingerstyle Guitar Competition (1987), events judged by some of the genre's top players and performers. He has appeared on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion with guitar legend Chet Atkins, and shared the stage with a host of the best regional, national and international guitarists and songwriters, among them Norman Blake, John Renbourn, Greg Brown, Stephen Fearing, Tim Sparks, Peter Lang, Pat Donohue, Robin and Linda Williams, Dave Ray, and Spider John Koerner.

Listen with half an ear to a Heywood performance and you will soon be fully absorbed in his wide-ranging grooves and dynamic tone. His playing encompasses the rhythmic pulse of the early country bluesmen, the melodic flair of contemporary steel-string guitar, and the nuanced right hand attack of the classical guitarist. Lucid, lyrical, soul-grabbing guitar instrumentals are his stock-in-trade, yet he frequently fields requests to sing more. His warm, plainspoken voice blends seamlessly with his rock-solid guitar work and draws the listener in with equal allure. Playing or singing, his rootsy sources bubble to the surface in a way that is organic, eminently accessible, and, as one fan put it, bound to "make your ears smile."

Heywood has earned standing ovations at the Cedar Cultural Center - the Twin Cities' major acoustic music venue - following CD-release concerts for his most recent recordings. Banks of the River (2003) and Circle Tour (2001) are in many ways companion pieces, parts of a continuing excursion tapping into and branching out from the roots of American fingerstyle guitar music. With his original pieces and choice of covers, Heywood takes his audience on a musical pilgrimage through a rich landscape that is both personal and linked to tradition, paying homage along the way to a lineage of inspiring players who have sprung from native soil.