The second night of South by Southwest was warmer than the first. And tonight involved some splitting up with folks to cover more shows. Of course that means you get more SXSW scoops.

My night started with Charlotte Martin. First I noticed her really groovy, long wild hair. Then I caught sight of her great black skirt. This woman had it going on visually. But then she opened her mouth and it no longer mattered what she looked like. Her voice was wonderful. She played the piano and had a Tori Amos thing going on, except with happier lyrics for the most part. And that is entirely appropriate since she did a cover of "Wild Horses" that sounds very much like Tori's version. Charlotte Martin was someone I had never heard of and really had no intention of seeing tonight, but I will most certainly keep my eye out for her in the future.

Next up was Ben Taylor. Yes, the Ben Taylor that is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. With heritage like that, it really isn't surprising that this guy can sing. His voice is a little rough around the edges, which is really where his charm comes in. Add some sweet guitar to the mix and you've got a man that I'd go see perform again and again. In fact, I think I'll head on over to the iTunes Music Store's SXSW page and get some of his music for some instant satisfaction.

After Ben Taylor was David Ford. David Ford is someone I've been looking forward to seeing live for a little over a year now. When I saw he was coming to SX SW I decided that it didn't matter who else was playing at the same time, David Ford's show was where I would be. I'm glad because I got to hear Charlotte and Ben, but unfortunately the Hotel Café Showcase only allotted 30 minutes to each set. Since David Ford's songs tend to be longer, he only got to play three. Can I just say I am instantly in love with this little man from Lewes, UK? He is quite adorable. And while he didn't play my three favorite songs, it was certainly interesting watching him play.

David Ford used to be in this band called Easyworld. They broke up and he's doing the solo thing and making me happy. However, tonight it was only David Ford and some chick singing backup. But his songs all involve more instruments than they had people on stage. What was cool was how he pulled it off. He would sing into one microphone and play his guitar like your typical singer-songwriter. Then he would sing into a different guitar and put it on a loop while singing on top of it. Eventually he had the same vocals on loop together so it sounded like there were six of him singing his backup vocals. But it gets even cooler. He did the same when he banged on his guitar to simulate drums. Due to technical issues, he wasn't able to add in the piano or harmonica. However, he did this all seamlessly, not skipping a moment to his song as you would hear it in a recording. David Ford was like a how-to on being a one-man band.