That’s where a rare event brought together three dynamic performers, the type who think outside of the box and bring sounds you rarely get to hear— even in a town like Lawrence.

Calvin Arsenia, the self-taught harpist, brought his charisma and rich baritone to the show with a quick performance on an array of instruments. His songwriting skills can captivate any audience, and his banjo-backed song “Kansas City Baby” is quickly becoming a favorite in the region (we’ve noted before that ad reps would be absolutely stupid not to take advantage of this song for marketing in Kansas City).

CJ Boyd, a solo artist who is constantly on tour, is a true lover (and master) of textures. This guy does amazing things with loops. Anything from the rustle of a string on his upright bass to his own whistling was used for rich layering in his hypnotic songs. Even his harmonica was used unconventionally. Nothing was off limits. But when he sang long, coarse, drawn out notes (for looping), it gave everyone chills.

But Tyler also debuted a new song about what happens when Downtown Lawrence bars let out at 2:00 a.m. In T-Gregs land, everything sounds like an ominous folk warning. Even a story about revelers stumbling out of the bars at closing time can sound like the stuff of legends.