Tonight's double bill offers new directions in acoustic music. The sound of Boulder Acoustic Society is haunted by the past and focused on the future. It's indie folk that draws from Appalachian roots, gritty gospel, and contemporary urban soundscapes. Five years, five albums and relentless touring have honed Boulder Acoustic Society into one of tightest and most entertaining bands of any genre, with pulsing, grooving percussion supporting the dual lead vocals of multi-instrumentalists Scott McCormick and Aaron Keim. Does BAS play contemporary music with a dark, folky vibe or folk music with poppy hooks and string band textures? By the end of the show you won't care.

A beloved figure in bluegrass and a pioneering force in acoustic music, bassist and vocalist Missy Raines has charted her career in line with her experimental spirit. Launching her career with experimental bluegrass outfit Cloud Valley, Missy toured with newgrass greats Eddie and Martha Adcock. Soon she was lending her bass skills to the Masters (Adcock, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves and Jesse McReynolds). Raines joined Claire Lynch's popular Front Porch String Band and developed a successful duo with bandmate and Ark favorite Jim Hurst. A stint with Nashville's brilliantly innovative and vastly underrated Brother Boys opened Missy's eyes to the value of spontaneity and immediacy in her musical approach. Now Missy Raines is stepping out to make a longtime dream come true: fusing bluegrass virtuosity, a jazz-tinged groove, and a song-driven sensibility in a hot new band of her own. Missy Raines and the New Hip are just that.