Country blues, swing, hillbilly ragtime and great originals: traditional music masters Steve James and Eric & Suzy Thompson deliver all this and much much more in an evening brimming with masterful moments on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, with mighty powerful vocals and humorous repartee. Irresistible? You bet!

Based in Austin, Steve is a powerful exponent of American vernacular guitar-playing. He is a favorite of devotees of acoustic folk and blues for his flawless fingerpicking and slide guitar, idiosyncratic writing style, and exuberant stage persona. Exposed early on to blues and folk music through his record-collector father, Steve taught himself guitar and went on to play with blues luminaries like John Hammond, Bo Diddley, and Buddy Guy. He has a featured performer on A Prairie Home Companion and has released numerous acclaimed recordings, like last year's Fast Texas (Burnside).

Two of the Bay Area's most versatile musicians, Eric & Suzy Thompson have a repertoire that stretches all the way from old-time Appalachian breakdowns to classic blues and Louisiana Cajun dance music. Eric's flatpicking (on guitar, cuatro, and mandolin) is famed for its purity of tone, speed, and soulfulness; Suzy is a powerful singer and an award-winning fiddler. In addition to their duo performances and recordings, Eric and Suzy have been key members of many of the area's best-known folk groups past and present, including the California Cajun Orchestra and Bluegrass Intentions.