Darrell Scott totally swept me into his magic a decade ago when seeing him in a song circle at Newport Folk Festival. He introduced a song by explaining how he was searching his roots and found a headstone bearing the name of his great grandad. This spawned the song "You'll Never Harlan Alive" (See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ_HzBSY4FE ). He had me. I've become a big admireer of his writing, his guitar playing (and now piano playing too) but mostly his voice which I feel is one of the most soulful deliveries I've known in my time.

As an added treat there was a young man who played as a warm up named Matt Nakoa. I was very impressed by his comfort and professional stage presence. He opened on guitar and sang in a high tenor range often using falsetto brilliantly. All selections were originals and he engaged the audience to his best ability. After a few pieces he moved to piano and explained his classical background which became evident in his facility with the piano. Masterful. Here is a young man with an immense gift and big decisions to make as he plans his life. I truly wish him well. See his site at: http://www.MattNokoa.com