Doug Collins & The Receptionists 'Drinking Again' single release party w/Becky Kapell and Eli Gardiner at Palmer’s

Called "one of the most brilliant songwriters to emerge from the Twin Cities in nearly two decades" by southernminn.com, Doug Collins's hooky mix of Beatle-esque pop and classic country are highlighted in his energetic shows (both solo and with his crack band, the Receptionists), soulful singing, and honest, emotional songs. His last two CD's were voted "Best of the Year" by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and his most recent, Good Sad News, was voted #3 best American release in Spain by Ruta66 Magazine.

Minnesota songwriter and singer Becky Kapell picked up her teenage son’s guitar on a whim and began teaching herself to play at the tender age of 42. With no intention of writing songs, as she taught herself basic chords, melodies began to emerge and then somewhat magically lyrics attached themselves to the melodies. She recorded 12 of those songs with old friends in Portland, Oregon (where Becky lived as a young adult), for her first record For Now, released in 2012. Based on the strength of that recording, Becky caught the attention of respected Minnesota musician/guitar player Paul Bergen and as the two began playing together her song-writing morphed from the folkier sound of her first record to the more guitar-driven sound of her 2018 release, That Certain Ache. They have continued to play and record together along with Becky’s band The Fat 6 which often includes various luminaries from the Minnesota music world.

Eli Gardiner's music is steeped in the singer songwriter tradition. Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on a healthy dose of Springsteen, Croce, Taylor, Young and Dylan, he learned about the art of songwriting early on. “Some of my first musical memories are listening to Saturday Night Gold on the radio with my family, hearing the oldies, songs like “Runaway” by Del Shannon.” Eli states. Both his parents were musicians. His mother played flute and his father classical guitar.