My big discovery this year was Show of Hands, an incredible UK modern-folk duo whose work is more or less unknown in the USA.

They're utterly brilliant, their bassist is the cutest thing ever, and Vixy and I immediately began covering some of their songs. Our personal favorite is The Napoli, a song about the locals in Branscombe "going feral" a few years ago because a cargo ship was beached, and its containers washed ashore.

We discovered them because a Filk friend took us to one of their shows at a club in London during our last visit there. I love being able to discover great new artists, meet them in person, buy CDs from them directly, and get their autographs.