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...that year's choice of venue for the North American Folk Alliance. The gathering isn't a folk festival as such, more a sort of get-together for musicians, record companies, radio and TV stations and promoters, all of whom have an interest (or in many cases an obsession) in folk music.

As well as meetings and talks on contracts and promotion and other stuff there are always lots of showcases, where artists hire a small room and put on an open show so that bookers and promoters can have a gander at them.

Some of the artists actually put shows on in their hotel rooms, turning the beds on their ends, dragging in a few cases for people to sit on and opening a couple of bottles of wine.

It was in one such bedroom gig that I saw Aoife O'Donovan singing before a three piece combo on banjo, bass and cello. I was completely transfixed - Aoife (who has a wonderful voice) was singing old-timey songs with a sort of Yo-Yo Ma style cello riff behind her which in its turn was moved along by a really percussive bass line and the sort of banjo playing you hear from stars like Béla Fleck. After the gig I told Aoife to keep in touch and let me have a copy of any CDs she made.

A year later a CD landed up on the doormat from Ìýwhich is what Aoife and the boys were now called. I played it and was immediately hooked - just like the noise they made in that San Diego bedroom - only better. A few years on, their third album Still Crooked has just arrived on the same doormat and it is absolutely fantastic. Every track on it is a real gem. If you haven't heard them yet check out their website and have a listen.Ìý