2001

"I know it's Tuesday, but it's worth it," said Eduardo as I followed him into a small bar at the top of the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle. A small crowd of about twenty people, mostly women, had gathered around the hearth of a fireplace where a young woman sat with a guitar plugged into an amplifier. Eduardo and I ordered beers at the bar and took a seat. When the young woman began to sing the bar fell silent and goosebumps rose on my arms. 

"Who is she?' I asked.

"Her name is Brandi Carlile," said Eduardo. "Isn't she good?"

2014

I sat with a few neighbors drinking cheap boozy cocktails at Lottie's when a band began setting up. You couldn't really even call it a stage, just a section of the bar elevated by only half a step and just large enough for a small sofa, two chairs and a coffee table, now moved aside. The band consisted of a few men, some of whom we recognized from the neighborhood, and a large woman who carried a lot of presence. She turned on the mic and the room fell silent. 

"I'm Grace Love," she said. "And these are the True Loves." Grace Love began to sing, and goosebumps rose on my arms.

2018

Lisa turned on the gas firepit in the small backyard of her home in Monterey, California and offered my son a marshmallow to roast. The chilly summer night made children huddle close to the fire. The men sat back in the shadows drinking beer and reminiscing about high school. Lisa turned to her daughter. "Play us the song you wrote," she said. 

The ten-year-old eyed her father's out of town guests shyly, then ran to get her guitar. After a few minutes of tuning it, she strummed a few chords. Then she began to sing. The group fell silent. Goosebumps rose on my arms.

My son turned and whispered in my ear. "Mommy, when she sings she doesn't sound like a kid." 

"I know," I said. "I'll take you to see her when she plays in Seattle."

"How do you know she will play in Seattle?" he asked.

"I just have a feeling."

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For links about these musicians and a sample of their music scroll to the comments section below.