airs, now scheduled for Oct. 30, though, the 18-year-old�s performance in front of friends, family, fellow Wimberley pickers and a packed studio of soon-to-be-fans indeed felt like a downhome affair.

All artists who get the opportunity to perform on the ACL stage make note of what a special experience it is, but there was something unique in the sincerity shown by the Grammy-nominated Jarosz when she said that being on the stage was a �dream come true.�

Only a year removed from high school, Jarosz already has an incredible command of her voice but does not attempt to hide her age, as she plaintively sings about tender pleadings for love and the wistful searching of a young poet in songs like �Tell Me True� and �Edge of a Dream.�

When sheintroduced a song that she wrote as a response to Hurricane Katrina � �Broussard�s Lament� � it took me a second to do the math. Katrina was in 2005. Jarosz was 14 at the time. The righteous, passionate lines from this devil-went-down-to-New Orleans tune are not the work of your typical high school student.

The jams in Wimberley obviously taught Jarosz to appreciate her playing partners, as she did an excellent job of letting her bandmates, Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) and Nathaniel Smith (cello) � both prodigies in their own rights at 18 and 16, respectively � shine. With Jarosz on mandolin, the dazzling interplay of the three was at its rhythmic best on �Mansinneedof,� as the effervescent strings bounced together beautifully. Jarosz and her bandmates made me feel like