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Patchouli & Terra Guitarra
Patchouli and Terra Guitarra is master guitarist Bruce Hecksel and singer-songwriter, guitarist Julie Patchouli.
ZMR calls Terra Guitarra “one of the top nuevo-flamenco groups in the world”, with a #1 and two top 5 internationally charting albums and multiple “Album of the Year” nominations. Patchouli is a folk festival headliner and Public Radio favorite with pure, haunting lead vocals and beautiful harmonies. Their sound, depth and virtuosity is described as “Simon and Garfunkel meets the Gipsy Kings” and “taking a yoga class in a field of running mustangs."
Their soulful fusion of blazing Spanish and world guitar instrumentals, spine tingling vocal harmonies, and epic folk rock anthems are infused with a visible onstage chemistry. An extraordinary bond is immediately apparent as two guitars merge into one acoustic wall of sound and their innovative, percussive flat-picking and hybrid fingerstyle techniques leave even astute listeners wondering where the drummer is.
Patchouli & Terra Guitarra have performed over 4,000 shows, toured a million miles on the road supporting 20 CD releases, won songwriting awards, industry awards, performed on TV, film and are played on Radio programs around the world.
The duo’s instrumental guitar project Terra Guitarra – “Dragonfly” debuted at #4 on the ZMR World Music Radio Charts and was Nominated ZMR Best Instrumental Acoustic Album of the Year 2013. Their 6th instrumental album "Firelight" is nominated ZMR Best Instrumental Acoustic Album of the Year 2015 was #5 on the ZMR Charts and #1 on the OneWorldMusicRadioUK charts. The duo was honored to perform for the Awards show May 7th 2016 in New Orleans at the Joy Theatre.
The overwhelming demand by their fans to have a live recording of the Terra Guitarra songs lead the duo to release a 12 song recording of Terra Guitarra in concert "Live at the Big River Theatre" November 2015. In January of 2017 they released their 8th album of all instrumental music "Of Sea & Stars" fusing their Spanish guitar style groove with other world music influences and is a huge success in just it's first couple of months available. "Of Sea & Stars"has already charted at #1 for 2 months on both One WorldMuiscRadioUK and Phase Global Radio (Austrailia) and #2 on the International ZMR new age /ambient/ world music radio charts.
A new Patchouli album (with lyrics/vocals) is in the works and may be out by end of this year. The duo is touring hard this Spring in the USA with a couple of weeks in Europe in May. Their summer tour takes them all over the Midwestern & Eastern states for festivals, and outdoor concerts as well as they will be debuting their new animated concert experience, The Landscape of Guitar in several theatres.
Patchouli & Terra Guitarra represents the very top echelon of today's acoustic performers, bringing the highest level of skill together with the passion, experience and joy that are a rare combination indeed.
THE LANDSCAPE OF GUITAR, THE ANIMATED CONCERT EXPERIENCE
They take their artistry to another dimension with their new animated multi-media concert experience. Guitarist Bruce Hecksel is also a prolific painter with exhibitions around the U.S. of his own style “Terra Guitarra Art”, featuring landscapes created out of guitar shapes. A projected colorful backdrop of lush vibrant paintings flows thru the concert. Not just a slide show, Hecksel has taken his paintings to a new level by animating them into 3D moving scenes with guitar birds flying through guitar mountains and over guitar rivers, cities and oceans. The paintings come alive and merge with the music as in front of the screen the duo perform their unique exciting blend of fiery Spanish guitar pieces and lyrical songs floating with gorgeous vocal harmonies.
See an example here: Video Demo of The Landscape of Guitar
More background and information at : www.landscapeofguitar.com
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“Patchouli live is amazing. I compare it to taking a yoga class in a field of running mustangs.”
"Terra Guitarra is one of the best nuevomenco groups in the world"
Reviews of Terra Guitarra:
“Sun, warmth, love and songs that can tell you about all of this -- it's all here, in a duet of two guitars, in an exciting musical journey by Terra Guitarra, from ocean waves lapping the white sands to gray mountains and city streets, through the maze of life, in the center of which beats the heart of the earth. Each track is incredibly beautiful with perfect sincerity in bright and warm tones. It will not be wrong if I say that the duo came up with not only a new level of creativity for themselves, but the genre as a whole.”- Ascentor, Ascentor
“Terra Guitarra is one of the most consistent and enjoyable double-guitar Latin instrumental bands in the world. There are numerous reasons, but some of the main ones are that they write catchy melodies, lead guitarist Bruce Hecksel is always innovative with his solos, and each tune is thoroughly audience-tested because Terra Guitarra performs more than 200 shows each year. Their new album, FIRELIGHT, is simply great music!”- MIMF, Magle International Music Forums
“Firelight by Terra Guitarra is a much need shot in the arm for this genre, it is an album full of warmth, extremely fine guitar, packed with sincere and wholehearted rhythm’s and one that if purchased will bring some very special musical moments into your lives whatever time of year you listen to it.” - Steve Sheppard, OneWorldMusic
Reviews of Patchouli:
"An acoustic duo whose songs about harmony & healing inspire the human spirit" - B Sents, Chicago Tribune
“Patchouli Live Patchouli is a contemporary folk/singer-songwriter duo of Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksel who both play acoustic guitar, with Julie singing most of the leads and Bruce harmonizing. Julie also plays an African drum and a (marimba) which seems to provide several octaves from its 6 chimes/bars. Bruce is a powerhouse flatpicker, not a highspeed bluegrass-style picker, rather playing complex, intricate, solidly-rhythmic breaks that left me with my jaw hanging. “...the best complete show of original material I’ve heard in a long, long time” - Jim Whitney-TC Acoustic
"This fine, mellow group features Julie Patchouil on lead vocal, acoustic 6-12string, upright and acoustic bass, marimbas, pan flute harmonicas and hand percussion and Bruce Hecksel on back-up vocals, piano, keyboard and also doubling on bass, guitar and percussion as well. Their smooth sound is a blend of folk jazz with a little Latin and African influence. Their music takes me back to the early ‘70s at country hippy parties on sunny, blissful days, except these guys are tight and focused. Nice rhythms and harmonies bring life to pleasant melodies and Julie’s alto is like a warm, sunny, inviting beach. I read that she’s been compared to Joni Mitchell and I wonder what young woman songwriter who listened to Mitchell from her crib, hasn’t been compared to her. I guess I see some similarity now and then, but mostly Julie Patchouli is an original sound, worthy of her own notoriety. ” - Marilyn O’Malley, Victory Music Review
