By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer

Tonight, people looking for a good concert have a choice between two artists who have each forged their own distinct styles.

Basia Bulat, a Canadian singer/songwriter who plays autoharp, dulcimer and guitar, will perform at Kung Fu Necktie. Eileen Ivers, a virtuoso Celtic fiddler, will play at the Annenberg Center.

Bulat is touring in support of her new album, "Heart of My Own."

"This is quite a big tour," Bulat said during a phone interview on Thursday. "I'm doing the major cities in the East, Midwest and Califronia. Then I go to Texas to play 'Austin City Limits,' come home to Toronto for a few days and then go to Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves Festival.

"When I was recording 'Heart of My Own,' I wanted to try everything. I made it at my friend's studio in Montreal. I'd spend time in the studio and then go back to Toronto to let the songs settle. Then I'd go back to Montreal to work on them again.

"It was almost the exact opposite of the way I recorded my first album, 'Oh My Darling.' I did that one in five days with the same musicians. On the new one, I tried so many different arrangements of songs. It was really fun to be doing something in a different process."

Bulat, who is of Polish descent, toured Europe this year - including a few dates in the land of her ancestors.

"I even do a couple songs in Polish," she said. "I'm learning to speak Polish through my singing. I wanted to record an album in Polish this summer, but it fell through. I'll probably do it this winter. I'm looking to record the album in Warsaw, but I'll also spend time with family members in Krakow.

"For my current tour, I'm out with my band. We have drums, bass, ukulele, piano, viola and keyboards. In addition to singing, I'm playing electric autoharp, hammered dulcimer, guitar and even some piano. It's really fun to be able to tour with these great musicians."

Ivers, meanwhile, has her roots in Ireland. She was born and raised in New York, but both her parents came from Ireland.

"My mom and dad are from County Mayo in western Ireland," Ivers said during a phone interview on Thursday. "Like so many immigrants, they play Celtic music in the house a lot.

"My dad used to work for the airlines, so when I was young, we'd go to Ireland for two months every summer. The music was all around in Ireland. When I was 8 and living in the Bronx, a gentleman there who was from Ireland started teaching me how to play fiddle. My mom tried pushing me into step-dancing, but I wanted to play music."

Now a seasoned veteran, Ivers has taken Celtic fiddle music to a new level. She has been called "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin" by The New York Times.

"As a teenager in New York, I listened to Irish music and to the pop music of the day," said Ivers, who was the fiddle star in the original production of "Riverdance" in 1995. "With Irish music, you really have to be grounded in it. I wanted to learn more - including violin in different genres.

"I listened to classical violin and to Stephane Grappelli with his jazz violin. There was a world of music out there. I loved rock bands with electric guitar, like Led Zeppelin. I think that was a part of how I began looking at fiddle differently.

"I looked at fiddle like a rock instrument -- playing it through effects pedals and taking advantage of the amount of sound and different envelopes. I bought all kinds of equipment and eventually cultivated a combined sound."

Basia Bulat is performing at Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St., Philadelphia, 215-291-4919,http://kungfunecktie.com) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Eileen Ivers and her band, Immigrant Soul, are performing at the Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut St., Philadelphia, 215-898-3900,www.pennpresents.org) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, $30 and $45.