The Hudsons

You know fall's here when acoustic musicians start migrating south. The Hudsons, an Austin, Texas, trio, began the summer on the main stage at the Kerrville Folk Festival, then busked northward through the Canadian folk circuit. Their homeward gigs, though, have gradually found the band under more cigarette smoke, neon signs and, well, roofs. Musically, with two guitars and a fiddle (and a boy-girl-boy lineup), comparisons to Nickel Creek and the Greencards are only natural. Fiddler Phoebe Hunt has, after all, toured with the South Austin Jug Band. Still, with songs such as the funny but honest "Girl, You're My Girl, Girl" and "Hibernation" (one of the best sleep-advocacy songs ever), they're perfect for the kind of out-of-the-sun joints where you can actually hand that folk singer a beer.