Back when our "Ceilidh House" organization was going full steam, we hosted Sara & her son Kieron for a concert in Freeport. They were both enjoyable, but Sara's exquisite clawhammer banjo playing and evocative ballad-spinning had us completely captivated. Her knowledge of American & British ballad traditions is almost unparalleled, yet the way she presents them is marvelously accessible.

Sara's CDs remain favourites in our household and I credit her with reviving my Sweetie's passion for the banjo--not the rapid-fire bluegrass playing, but another sound altogether: eerie, spare, and riveting.

Come see her if you can, folks.

(Count us as two maybes, we're going to try to rework our schedules.)

--Cuilionn