Kraig Jarret Johnson & David Poe & friends

Over the last three decades, Kraig Jarret Johnson has earned numerous accolades for his sterling guitar work, songwriting skills and dynamic stage presence – as a band member, solo artist and collaborator. His reputation as a first class team player has endeared him to a wide variety of musicians, dating all the way back to Run Westy Run, the legendary Minneapolis band he started with his brothers in the mid 1980s. The “Westies” became one of the premier live bands of the late 80s and paved the way for Johnson's subsequent work as a member of some of the best Twin Cities groups of the era – The Jayhawks, Iffy and Golden Smog.

Over the last decade Johnson has been busy on a number of fronts, working with the likes of musician/artist/poet Joseph Arthur and a diverse group of downtown NYC artists while also stockpiling dozens of original compositions in anticipation of an upcoming solo project. The last year has seen Johnson reconnect with two key signposts from his past: Run Westy Run played their first show in 15 years in December 2013 in Minneapolis and Johnson rejoined the 1997 lineup of The Jayhawks in Summer 2014 for extensive touring in support of reissued albums originally released during Johnson's tenure with the band. Both Run Westy Run and The Jayhawks are currently working on new material.

David Poe writes songs and sings them. Sometimes others sing them too. Over the last 20 years David has released several solo albums while also writing, producing and collaborating with a wide variety of artists. He is a composer fellow of the Sundance Institute and has scored seven films. He played a key role in kickstarting Kraig's solo career in the early 2000s and co-produced Kraig's self-titled album in 2004, recorded with “The Program,” an all-star backing band featuring Poe, Ed Ackerson, Jim Boquist, Peter Anderson and various Jayhawks.