Because sometimes these things happen, and the blues has gotta come out. And what better way to be sad than to claim it, bellow it and make it cool?

Warner Williams & Jay Summerour

Maryland

Sounds like: A gospel choir led by Hank Williams.

Why you should see them: NPR called guitarist Williams a "musical almanac," tying together his interest in Piedmont blues, spirituals, jazz and country music, aided and abetted by Summerour's Delta-dipped harmonica.

When: Saturday 3 p.m., 5 p.m.; Sunday 1:15 p.m.

Nat Reese

Salem

Sounds like: What everybody's grandpa should sound like.

Why you should see him: The 82-year-old musician picked up the acoustic guitar as a kid and played his way through Appalachian coal camps, collecting histories and doling out the joys of hardship with his full-bore voice.

When: Saturday 5:15 p.m.

Jeffrey Scott

Culpeper

Sounds like: He's halfway to Nat Reese.

Why you should see him: The 41-year-old string musician, like his fellow Virginia bluesmen, gathers influences from the mystical sources of the mountains and from farther afield, country-style. Well-versed in strings of all sorts, Scott continues the Piedmont blues dedication to the acoustic experience.

When: Sunday, 1 p.m., during "Banjo Traditions: From Africa to Appalachia," and 3 p.m., "Blues and Songster Traditions."

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