The acoustic pop duo Ryanhood has a strategy for their audiences: Come for the harmonies and the flashy guitar, stay for the emotions in the songs. “We draw people in with the fireworks, but they stay for the heart and the mind,” says singer/guitarist Cameron Hood. “For one thing, it’s two male friends playing together — how often do people even see that?”

Formed in Boston but now based in Tucson AZ, Ryanhood returns home for a show at Club Passim this Wednesday.

The duo of Hood and Ryan Green makes impeccably crafted pop without the benefit of electric instruments or a backup band. “We’ve both been in heavier bands,“ Hood says. “And I mean heavier in both ways — Bands playing harder rock, but a lot of equipment, big drums and amps. The difficulty level was high, and also the opinions — Every band wants to be a democracy, but few ever are. There was something so inviting about Ryan and I being an acoustic duo, and that increases our connection with the audience. You might look at us and say, ‘Two gentlemen with acoustic guitars, I’ve seen that before.’ But then you go to our shows and say, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard this before — So much energy and storytelling and vulnerability and humor’.”

The duo cut its teeth back in 2003 playing for tourists at Quincy Market, after Green graduated from Berklee with a music business degree. “In some ways we were living the dream,” Green said. “In terms of street performing, Quincy Market is as good as it gets. It’s private property so you have to pass an audition. I like to say there are three categories of shows — The best kind is when people are coming to see you, and there’s the kind where they want to see music but not necessarily you. Then there’s street performing, when you’re really an intrusion. Someone’s there to eat a hot dog, and you have to turn that into a concert.”

And it taught them a bit about stagecraft. “The other performers were clowns and acrobats and circusy things, so we tried to bring some of that bombast into our shows,” Green says. ” In fact the company that insured us was called Clowns of the US — so as street performers, we had clown insurance. So when we started playing colleges in the Northeast, we went the other direction and started thinking, ‘We need to maintain our integrity and be a serious band.’ Now we’re probably in the middle, trying to be real with a sense of humor.”

Another feature of their shows is Green’s guitar solos, which might qualify as shredding if he were playing electric. “I grew up loving guys like Steve Vai, who also went to Berklee. You can do that on electric and people might say ‘it’s wanky,’ But on acoustic it sounds exciting and maybe elevating to people. When I go to a show, I like to hear someone do something impressive, that I know they took the time to work on. That inspires me with what I do.”

After two decades together, the two Ryanhoods have settled into complementary roles. “I would say that Ryan is in charge of our musical and emotional department, and I;’m in charge of the lyrical and intellectual department,” Hood says. “I’ve especially realized lately that he’s more able to be emotionally vulnerable than I am; to me that’s a little scary and I prefer to live in ideas about the world. He’s more willing to close his eyes and tell you what something feels like, while I’d probably take an emotion and think about what you should say.”