On Saturday, August 16, we hosted a house concert for NFT. This relatively new, young vocal trio showcases the talents of three rising stars on the music scene. Nathan McEuen (guitar/vocal), Fanny Penny (vocal) and Tahkus Ekedal (vocal) are NFT! NFT is a vocal trio from Ojai, California, inspired by such groups as Crosby Stills & Nash, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Phish, Alison Krauss and Elvis, to name just a few. NFT offers a dynamic sound both new and old which they like to call "future-retro". With many live performances already under their belts -- including opening for David Crosby and Graham Nash at The Troubadour in Los Angeles -- the members of NFT radiate excellence with what the L.A. Times calls "sweet blending harmonies."

Nathan McEuen, the 23 year old son of John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, wrote his first song at the age of eight. He has performed at over 500 venues worldwide, written more than 50 songs, and has appeared on many different television and radio shows. His influences include Phish, CSN, Dave Mathews, his father, The Beatles, Bela Fleck, Pink Floyd, and Prince, all of which he likes to incorporate into his own music.

Fanny Penny has been singing constantly since her days in the school chorus developing a style that's all her own. She's had success in Europe and Japan on the album Poperetta@Saint Tropez with a song she co-wrote called "House of Love" that featured her on lead vocals. The track received extensive radio and club play as well as critical attention. She has also recorded various tracks for independent albums in California.

Tahkus Ekedal has been recording professionally since the age of three, for a children's music label. She was featured on close to a dozen albums while continuing to develop her own singing style and songwriting talents. During her high school years, she continued to study music and performed as a backup singer throughout the West Coast. She solos as an alternative jazzy-pop singer-songwriter.

For the house concert here, the trio was also joined by guitarist Rory Stalwick. For a very enthusiastic audience, the group showcased both their own wonderful songs as well as covers of songs by The Beatles, CSN, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Prince and others. Their harmonies and arangements were amazing and left everyone wanting more! This is a group that everyone is going to be hearing lots more about in the future!

We would like to thank Rick Hermelin, a Licensed Massage Therapist at Therapeutic Bodywork for co-sponsoring our August House Concert with us. Rick has over 3000 hours of training and has been serving the Conejo Valley since 1991. Rick can be contacted at (805) 494-8481. We have both used his services and are confident in recommending him. We want to thank Rick for his continued support of our house concert series.