Berkeley's Rachel Garlin was last year's winner of the Newport Folk Festival Talent Search. She brings insightful story songs from her latest release, Big Blue Sky, recorded live at the Freight and Salvage.

Joni Laurence, based in Champaign, IL, recently leaped out of her day job at the University of Illinois into the world of a touring musician. Laurence---s slender form and shy persona belie the tough artist inside who---s willing to take on issues in song with a demanding delicacy.