Central Standard Time

Two voices. Two acoustic guitars. Blend these four elements, and add to them a healthy portion of sincere, heartfelt songwriting, all tied together with intertwining guitar arrangements and ethereal, swirling melodies. The resulting melange is Central Standard Time, a duo of singer-songwriters from eastern Iowa. Matt Hibbard and Charlie Rod are Central Standard Time. They have been writing and performing acoustic music together for more than a decade.

Matt Hibbard and Charlie Rod are Central Standard Time. They have been writing and performing acoustic music together for more than a decade. Their songs are marked with sincerity and earthiness, and more hope than despair. As JP Claussen of the Mud River Music Cooperative put it, "Matt and Charlie display eastern Iowa folk music that sounds just like that - no bells, no whistles, just true music from the heart."

Matt and Charlie met in the summer of 1993, as counselors at summer camp. Their friendship grew strong over the ensuing years, and from it blossomed a musical partnership that continues to grow today.

Their first CD, Whisper of Wind, was recorded hastily and without the benefit of any studio know-how in a small studio on the campus of Wartburg College in 1996. About a year later they went to a professional recording studio and re-recorded much of the material from Whisper of Wind. The resulting CD, called Second Whisper, was released in 1997.

In 1999, Matt and Charlie returned to the studio and recorded the tracks for Folksinging. That project was followed in 2002 by Lord, Look Down, a compilation of CST's more overtly Christian songs.

Their most recent CD, called What I Know Now, was released in the spring of 2007. This project saw numerous delays in the songwriting and recording processes, but Matt and Charlie both feel that the result is very strong for it.

Since those early days at camp, Central Standard Time has performed throughout eastern Iowa and beyond, at bars, coffeehouses, colleges, churches, camps, festivals, and on live radio. Their songwriting and live performances continue to draw fans of all ages.