For over 30 years and 5,000 global concerts, Julie Patchouli has defined the heart of the #1 charting folk duo Patchouli & Terra Guitarra. A professional multi-instrumentalist since age 18, Julie built a legendary career alongside her husband and musical partner, master guitarist Bruce Hecksel. After years of touring, they settled in Maiden Rock, WI, in 2003, becoming pillars of the music and art community through 22 years of concerts and exhibits. In 2007 they created a second musical project, Terra Guitarra that took off on the international scene winning “Best Instrumental Album of the Year” for Of Sea & Stars. The folk power couple joyfully crafted their sound of Folk meets Flamenco that City Pages described like “taking a yoga class in a field of running mustangs” with poetic lyrics, sparkling vocals, rhythmic steel strings and soulful Spanish guitar creating songs that “inspire the human spirit” -Chicago Tribune.
Through the years, in the background of their thriving musical lives, Bruce was also painting and many of his pieces became album artwork. In 2015 they created a multi-media production, The Landscape of Guitar, The Animated Painting Concert Experience, a live music performance with projected animation of Hecksel’s Terra Guitarra® acrylic paintings of “guitar landscapes” where every element is a guitar shape, colorfully glittering like stained glass that creates a vivid concert of frequency, color and sound.
Patchouli & Terra Guitarra presented this show several times at The Big River Theatre including in 2020 during the pandemic, when they performed a monthly live stream concert from the empty theatre.
In Spring 2025 they opened the Terra Guitarra Fine Art Gallery in Maiden Rock where Bruce painted and exhibited The Landscape of Guitar pieces as he created them on the canvas.
Their creative journey was a shared one until July 2025, when Bruce passed away following a three-year battle with stage IV cancer.
In the wake of his passing, Julie returned to the studio to complete their 23rd recording, releasing the album Everything It Takes in April 2026.
“The Big River theatre has been so supportive and formative in our artistic careers,” Julie says, “that I want to celebrate that connection to Bruce’s life in the Arts.”
This special performance of The Landscape of Guitar, honors that legacy, featuring fan-favorite classics alongside the new album songs, while sharing Bruce’s vibrant animated paintings—a moving tribute to a partnership that transformed the landscape of international guitar folk.
