Terra Guitarra

"Seeing Patchouli live is like taking a yoga class in a field of running mustangs" - CIty Pages

Patchouli is a contemporary folk/singer-songwriter duo of Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksel who both play acoustic guitar, with Julie singing most of the leads and Bruce harmonizing. Julie also plays an African drum and a (marimba) which seems to provide several octaves from its 6 chimes/bars. Bruce is a powerhouse flatpicker, not a highspeed bluegrass-style picker, rather playing complex, intricate, solidly-rhythmic breaks that left me with my jaw hanging.

“...the best complete show
of original material I’ve
heard in a long, long time”
-Jim Whitney-TC Acoustic
- TC-Acoustic

Though I mentioned them in this column a couple of years ago. Patchouli embodies all that is good about modern-day folk music and so deserves a second go-round. The duo consists of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Julie Patchouli and
guitarist/keyboardist Bruce Hecksel. The two have played together for a decade (some of that time as members of folk/rockers Aunt Betsy) and have released 7 albums.
“Patchouli embodies all that is good
about modern-day folk music
-Mick Skidmore Relix Magazine
The latest effort “Come a Little Closer”, is their most consistent and immediately impressive to date. Patchouli uses a full band with bass, drums, flute and saxophone-giving their richly melodic songs and added dimension-and subtle world beat instrumental textures underscore the songs, and Julie sounds like a sweeter Joni Mitchell.
-Mick Skidmore Relix Magazine April/May 2003
- Relix Magazine

According to aromatherapy lore, Patchouli has very potent properties. Its earthly, warm scent can both stimulate and soothe, and through the ages has been considered and aphrodisiac. So it is with acoustic duo Patchouli. Multi-instrumentalists Julie Patchouli and spouse Bruce Hecksel play textured, thoughtful music that moves the mind to think and the heart to feel. Although Julie's voice has been compared to Joni Mitchell's, it also contains nuances of such soulful singers as Natalie Merchant and Sarah McLaughlin.
“textured, thoughtful music that moves
the mind to think and the heart to feel”
-Katie Schardl The Tallahassee Democrat
Hecksel's deft flights of fancy on the guitar wrap her voice in a mantle of sparkling sound that recalls late, great, quirky collective Poi Dog Pondering. On Patchouli's CD, "Visions," the duo employs everything from double bass to marimbas to pan flutes to paint vivid soundscapes.
- Talahassee Democrat