David Jacobs-Strain, a youthful acoustic blues artist from the Pacific Northwest, once said: "The blues sometimes finds a voice in unexpected places. I was drawn by the vital humanism of the music, the Delta blues, a true, uncommercial folk music. The joys and sufferings of many people are there in the texture of the music. For me the intensity of the music itself is the obsession that challenges the soul." Over a decade of performing and five albums, including his new Ocean Or A Teardrop (NorthernBlues), David has truly embodied this vision, combining a deep knowledge of the music's past with his own old soul to create authentic blues music. He is a powerhouse finger-picking and bottleneck-slide guitar virtuoso, a raw, soulful vocalist, and an insightful songwriter to boot; and quite definitely one of the best young blues artists in the United States.

David's special guest will be Los Angeles-born, Eugene-based musician Walker T Ryan. Walker has spent the past 30 years or so picking, sliding, and wailing a place for himself within the blues (he calls it "underdog American music," also the title of his recent album). Walker's repertoire ranges from down-in-the-bottom Delta blues, old upbeat R and B tunes, obscure roots rock and roll songs, New Orleans good-time rags, and the occasional gospel or soul tune -- styles all rooted in and descended from the blues. Walker's music is intense, rhythmically complex, and emotional. A born storyteller, his renditions add even greater depth and richness to classic blues, and his original songs resonate with truth and experience.