Willy Porter and Patty Larkin

Milwaukee-raised Patty Larkin grew up with the piano, but she became an eminent guitar player after teaching herself in high school and then honing her jazz-based style at the Berklee College of Music. Larkin's urban-infused folk-pop hinges on inventive, spellbinding guitar spirals that aptly frame her tale-telling. In 1985, Larkin released her first album, <i>Step into the Light</i>, but she didn't crack the Billboard charts until 2003's <i>Red=Luck</i>. Two years later, Larkin produced the collaboration album <i>La Guitara</i>, a collection of songs by accomplished women guitarists. Released in 2010, her most recent album, 25, contains 25 new tracks as a tribute to her 25th anniversary as a professional recording artist. Tonight Larkin shares a double bill with another songwriter with local roots, Mequon folkie Willy Porter.