Since the fade to black of Acoustic Chaos in Deep Ellum, Liquid Lounge has not seen acoustic talent the likes of which hit the stage this night. The rain cleared as if God herself said, “Let there be acoustic hero”. Billy Blaze was the first artist to grace the stage at Liquid Lounge. His pure Texas acoustic sound was fresh and invigorating, and lyrically he took us on a ride. His vocals were well articulated and his guitar bordered a traditional strumming and some picking as well. Patrick Font was next on deck, and gave us some tasty technical skill on the guitar. His renditions of several covers were nice, though I would’ve rather heard more of his original stuff. Regardless, he is a talented musician and one to definitely keep an eye on! Mark Brandt was our first instrumental artist of the night, and wow- this guy’s got some great chops! His songs were definitely original, and entertained the crowd at Liquid Lounge. His last song was a really energetic tune that got the crowd clapping along and put smiles on everyone’s faces. Justin Ross gave that Takamine a workout, and the crowd loved him for it. His set was diverse and powerful, building excitement both on stage and off, and was simply electrifying! He had both musician and non-musician nodding their heads and tapping their feet from start to end. Amanda Lepre, representing Austin tonight, did not disappoint one bit. Her set was original and biting, as she took us from ecstatic highs to melancholic lows, gripping us with her acoustic mastery all the while. Her stage presence was great and really accented a terrific set! Vince Lujan stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. His vocals were moving, and his guitar work was superb. This is a musician that can be enjoyed by all generations, and the crowd at Liquid Lounge was definitely responding well. With an angelic voice in the likes of Jeff Buckley, Jeff Widman (Jeff/Jeff… coincidence?) wrapped the Dallas Acoustic Hero in style. His vocal range and consistency was incredible, and his guitar complimented every aspect of his music. This night was full of talent, without question. Every artist gave his or her best, and I’m sure that no one doubted that Texas holds some of the greatest singer/songwriters in the world. Congratulations are in order for the guitar winner, Billy Blaze and to Justin Ross, who will be going to NYC to represent Texas with authority. Look out, east coast: here comes Texas. See you at the finals! One Love,