Joe Ely and Joel Guzman

Amarillo native Joe Ely got his start with the legendary Lubbock ensemble The Flatlanders. Since then, his music has covered everything from western to honky-tonk stomps and rockabilly, to Woody Guthrie ballads and Mexican-influenced corridos. This formidable writer and interpreter of classic Texas songs is joined by longtime accompanist and accordion king extraordinaire, Joel Guzman, whose prowess on the squeezebox ranges from rocked-up and straight-ahead conjunto to more nuanced and romantic Mexican roots music and many, many more stops beyond the standard Latin genres. Together they have released a stunning live CD that has caught fire with both lifetime fans and newcomers to their music. It is a powerful combination of astonishing songcraft that ranges from soulful to hard-driving, and gets there with searing guitar and virtuosic accordion.