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“Phil is a fantastic player. His playing is beautiful, precise and emotionally deep.”

– Pat Donohue, Grammy-winning guitarist

“... lays down a swinging groove, joyriding melodies ..."

– Jim Ohlschmidt, Acoustic Guitar

"The surprise of the night was special guest Phil Heywood, another guitar ace. Kottke and Heywood's duets were commanding, topped only by Heywood's solo number, a moving arrangement of an Irish tune. It was a fitting climax to a night filled with hearty laughs and virtuoso licks."

– Martin Keller, Twin Cities Reader

“Phil sounds as though he needs to play.”

– Leo Kottke


"This Minnesota mainstay has long been applauded as standing out from the rest of the pack of pickers."

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Phil Heywood, a National Fingerpicking Champion, may be the Midwest's best-kept secret. He rarely tours, but area guitarists hold him in high esteem for his strong musicality and easy-going personality. Circle Tour's set of mostly original tunes demonstrates Heywood's grounding in traditional American folk music. His powerful guitar sound features crystal-clear melody and harmony lines above subtly driving bass lines. Heywood's grooving arrangements of 'Old Man River' and Lead Belly's 'Ha Ha This a Way' and the moody 'Crested Hens' by Brittany hurdy-gurdy player Gilles Chabenat, round out this impressive collection."

– Gary Joyner, Acoustic Guitar

"Easily a virtuoso, Heywood is not a technician sacrificing content for style. Every movement of finger and string are as essential to the whole design as the smallest brick of a Gothic cathedral."

The Milwaukee Journal

“One of the Minnesota Guitar Wizards, Phil simply oozes soulful playing. Great guy, too.”

– guitarist Dakota Dave Hull

“Phil Heywood is perhaps unique among contemporary players in the way he melds the straightforward yet sophisticated sensibility and technique of the country blues guitarists with a virtuosic attention to tone, dynamics, and textural density. ... The remarkable and unmistakable Heywood command of the instrument and uncommon level of taste and musical intensity are evident throughout the album (Banks of the River).” – Gloria Raheja, The Guitarist (publication of the Minnesota Guitar Society)

"He plays neat little melodies with plenty of friendly joy to them, and he plays them incredibly well. Local Joe is exactly what a guitar album should be — strong melodies, a mix of styles to keep it interesting, and excellent picking that never sacrifices the integrity of the melodies to the artist’s ego. Acoustic guitar fans should consider this recording a 'must have.' "

–  Music Reviews Quarterly

“You could call yourself Soul Fingers.”

– Willie Murphy, legendary Minneapolis musician, speaking to Phil

What people say...

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