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From an early age, Gonzalez was influenced by many types of music. His Argentinian father instilled in him a love of Latin music, but he also felt drawn to American folk and pop songs. Encouraged by his parents, Gonzalez picked up the guitar as a child and hasn't put it down in nearly 30 years--and believe me, it shows!

Reflected in the songs on his latest album is a vast knowledge of what a guitar was designed to do and also what it's capable of. Gonzalez trained classically, which provided him a solid foundation on which to experiment with other styles in developing his own sound. His unique blending of Latin, classical and folk that sounds like what would happen if Crosby, Stills & Nash married Antonio Carlos Jobim and created a musical lovechild. The result is lush, intricate and mellow.

Although he mainly performs his own material, he has been known to surprise his audiences with hypnotic, acoustic versions of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Joy Division and Kylie Minogue.

Gonzalez is a no-frills artist. He records in his home using run-of-the-mill equipment. His albums rely solely on his amazing talent and not on the nip & tuck of a crafty producer. He's proven to most of Europe that he's the real deal and now he's here to prove it to us.

Get to the Bijou Theatre this Sunday night. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. (We're serious about this one.)

To learn more about Jose Gonzalez, check out these websites:

*Gonzalez on NPR's All Things Considered
*NPR's Song of the Day feature

Finally, if you can't get yourself to the Knoxville show, here are the rest of his '06 tour dates:

20 sep US Charlottesville .... Starr Hill Music Hall
21 sep US Carrboro .................... Cat's Cradle
22 sep US Asheville .................... Orange Peel
23 sep US Atlanta ......................... The Earl
24 sep US Knoxville .................. Bijou Theatre
25 sep US Birmingham .................... Bottletree
26 sep US New Orleans ........ House of Blues Parish
29 sep US San Antonio .................... Limelight
30 sep US Dallas .................... Gypsy Tea Room
02 oct US Tucson ............................. Plush
03 oct US Tempe ............... The Clubhouse
04 oct US San Diego ......................... Casbah
05 oct US Los Angeles ................ Vista Theatre
06 oct US Palo Alto ...... Enchanted Broccoli Forest
10 oct US Brooklyn ................. Brooklyn Lyceum
11 oct US Poughkeepsie ....... Vassar College Chapel
12 oct US Clinton .............. Fillius Events Barn
13 oct US Rochester ................... German House
14 oct US Columbus ................... Wexner Center

*Front page photo of Jose Gonzalez by Leslie Lyons