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Josh Doyle is a singer-songwriter with a rock edge.

Andrew Belle has a unique voice, and writes killer songs. (I also love his earlier album The Ladder.)

Jon McLaughlin is one of my favorite singer-songwriters. He’s a fantastic pianist. (He also happens to be from my home state, Indiana.)

You’ve heard of Fiction Family from me if you’ve been following this series, because the band is fronted by 1/3 of Nickel Creek and 1/5 of Switchfoot. Personally, I feel that’s more than enough information to convince a person to check them out.

Sara Watkins is another 1/3 of Nickel Creek. She’s an amazing fiddler, with a sweet, unique voice. She also has a knack for writing songs that are at once original and make you swear you’ve heard them before.

Punch Brothers is fronted by Chris Thile, the final 1/3 of Nickel Creek. (What? I told you I love them.) These guys are cerebral musicians, so expect it to be necessary to intentionally engage with their albums. (This is also them, under a previous name.)

I first heard of Alexi Murdoch because one of his songs became iconic as part of the TV series The OC. Turns out, he had written an album full of fantastic songs.

My brother gave me this album by The Duhks as a birthday present a few years ago, and it was a good call. Folky and rocky, and all-out catchy.

The Arrows are an unusual band. I don’t even know how to describe them, which may be why their music is hard to find. I have a full length album someone gave me, but that particular album can’t be found on Amazon. (The above album is a 5-song EP.) The word that comes to mind is fresh. Their sound is fresh.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African acapella group. ‘Nuff said.

So, what am I missing out on?