Jonah Smith, Dave Barnes, and Steve + John (Burlap to Cashmere)

It’s maybe no surprise that New York-based Jonah Smith came into his own as singer/songwriter/pianist in the world’s biggest melting pot. Check in with Smith in a subterranean Downtown jazz club, sit for a while and listen to him play–his hat cocked sideways, his manner shy, his humor dry–and you’ll see that he, like New York, is a little bit of everything: a seasoned player, he’s a little bit jazz; a heartfelt vocalist, he’s definitely soul; a talented balladeer and storyteller, he’s even a little Nashville. Yet, essentially, at its essence, it’s rock and roll.

Dave Barnes sells a lot of records. He fills a lot of venues. He has gained prominence not only from the evangelism of self-proclaimed fans like John Mayer, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, but also by writing songs for and with Marc Broussard, Bethany Dillon, Bebo Norman, Josh Hoge, Ed Cash, and Matt Wertz.

The alternative CCM group Burlap to Cashmere was led by the Brooklyn-based vocal/guitar duo of cousins John Philippides and Steven Delopoulus. The duo soon assembled Burlap to Cashmere, recruiting guitarist Mike Ernest, bassist Roby Guarnera, keyboardist Josh Zandman, drummer Theodore Pagano and percussionist Scott Barksdale. They draw on a vast range of folk and world music influences.