What do you get when you combine two of the East Coast’s most talented young bluesmen? You get the brilliant double bill featuring Juno-winner Garrett Mason and next gen guitar slinger Keith Hallett. Mason has received much acclaim for his solo albums. His debut I’m Just a Man won a Juno for Best Blues Album, and the follow up, 2008’s Love and Sound earned him another Juno nomination and a Music Nova Scotia Award for blues recording of the year. He has also been nominated for Maple Blues Awards every year since 2004, most recently winning Guitar Player of the Year this year. Hometown blues wonder Keith Hallett’s natural prowess in the genre shines through with his howlin’, growlin’ and soulful vocals, and the impressive guitar licks and slides that have made Keith a household name in the East Coast blues community. Keith won the 2007 Harvest CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and was nominated for Maple Blues Award for new artist of the year at only 17 years old. His 2008 debut album Bear With Me was heralded as “head and shoulders above at least half the blues discs that have come out this year by older veterans,” and he has begun work on his sophomore album, produced by and featuring Mason. The two phenomenal guitar players have now joined forces for a fresh take on the blues they both know so well, with a few unexpected twists. The duo will play a number of shows during the Festival, including opening for the legendary Buddy Guy.