Raised on an Iowa farm and now living in Philadelphia, Susan Werner offers up a supple and expressive alto voice and powerful guitar and piano ability. A riveting performer, her finely-polished songs meld folk and jazz elements into unpredictable and richly evocative gems. Performing publicly since she was a child, Susan, who holds a master's degree in classical voice from Temple University, played piano and sang in jazz ensembles while building her songwriting career in listening rooms along the eastern seaboard. Rising quickly through the coffeehouse circuit, her album, Last of the Good Straight Girls, hit the top of the charts in 1995, leading to national tours with Joan Armatrading and Richard Thompson. Susan performs songs from her latest release, Time Between Trains (Bottom Line). Ellis Paul is defining a new breed of American songwriter. His expanding audience grew even more this past year when his song, "The World Ain't Slowin' Down" was featured in the Farrelly Brothers' film, Me, Myself, & Irene. Raised in Maine, Ellis moved to Boston to attend college on an athletic scholarship, and where he started his songwriting career. The winner of eight Boston Music Awards as well as the prestigious Kerrville (TX) New Folk Award, Ellis delivers literate, provocative, urbanely romantic lyrics with a high, clear voice that strikes directly at the heart. Infused with hardball honesty and telling details, Ellis' recent albums are Am I Home? and Urban Folksongs.