Austin Willacy is a Berkeley treasure, whether singing a capella or with instrumental accompaniment. He’s recorded ten albums with the House Jacks, as well as four albums and two EPs as a solo artist. His music is soulful and raucous, tender and comic, and has been featured on The Sing Off, Road Rules, and three feature film soundtracks, not to mention the voice work he’s done on such video games as Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution. Austin has also worked as an activist and organizer, devoting time to the Rainforest Action Network, YES!, and the dear old Freight, as well as directing Til Dawn, Youth in Arts, an award-winning teen a cappella group empowering teens to find their voices. What he’s most proud of, though, is Bonnie Raitt’s frank assessment: “You can ****ing sing!”

Aireene Espiritu was born in the Philippines, moved to Oakland when she was ten, and grew up in a blend of musical worlds, listening to Alan Lomax’s field recordings from the South and to her talented uncles jamming on Filipino folk guitar. Her own music is spare and focused – she zeroes in on the essentials, telling elemental stories of life and death, laughter and tears. Her songs, says Richard Rice of the San Francisco Free Folk Festival, “carry both historic sweep and personal nuance. The melodies are full of bluesy longing, fingerpicked delicately on her tenor ukulele.” Her latest album, Put Back Charlie, recorded with her band The Rarities, showcases her gorgeous vocals and easy charm. When Aireene sings, the effect is breathtaking.

Damond Moodie is an Oakland-based singer and songwriter whose music is a catchy blend of folk, rock, and soul. He has released three albums and an EP, Not in Vain, featuring his eloquent guitar work and velvety vocals. Growing up in Cleveland, he surprised his parents when he started writing poetry and playing in a band. “My Pops didn’t think I would be employable,” he says, “but the band gave me an outlet for the new found creativity that I felt, and it actually motivated me to get my degree.” These days, he volunteers for Bread & Roses, singing at homeless shelters and rehab facilities, and plays with the local rock band, The Lemonhammer.

Kelly McFarling moved from Atlanta to San Francisco in 2007 and quickly became, in the words of the East Bay Express, “one of the Bay Area’s most promising singer-songwriters.” Her albums since then, Distractible Child, Conspire, Others, and Ridgeline, have more than fulfilled that promise. She plays wicked good banjo, and her earthy contralto is rich with deep feeling. She also writes terrific songs with beguiling lyrics. “And the night is wide open / and the bottle is wide open / and our mouths are wide open / and our lives are wide open,” she sings on “Atlanta,” the first song on her debut album. When she appeared on CNN’s Music Monday feature, she was described as “a young banjo player and songwriter who will bowl you over with her voice.” Prepare to be bowled.

visit the Austin Willacy website

visit the Aireene Espiritu website

visit the Damond Moodie website

visit the Kelly McFarling website