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James Blackshaw with Gary Higgins

Initially inspired by the guitarists of the 60's Takoma label to teach himself fingerpicking, James Blackshaw writes long-form pieces primarily for solo 12-string guitar and piano that are heavily influenced by minimalist composers and European classical music and which use drones, overtones and repeating patterns alongside a strong inclination for melody to create instrumental music that is both intelligent, hypnotic and emotionally charged, not to mention demanding of a technical virtuousity that puts him in the pantheon of the world's greatest guitarists. Gary Higgins is a living legend who In 1973 released a brilliant, yet impossible to find LP, called Red Hash. A Drag City Records employee got it from Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance and became obsessed with the album and tracking Higgins down. Drag City renewed interest in this elusive classic when they reissued it last year. It may be 32 years late, but acclaim is finally coming to Higgins as the current folk explosion makes this classic record sound as relevant and contemporary as it did in '73.