The Honeycutters

The Honeycutters are an alt-country/folk band from Asheville; apparently they've been around for a while but haven't become particularly well known.  They have started winning some awards recently.  A friend of mine saw them live a few times in North Carolina when he used to live there, and he has since tried to introduce as many people as possible to their music.  Their first album, "Irene", came out in 2009, and their second one came out this year.  Both albums have phenomenal songwriting, and the lead singer has an incredible voice.  The recent album feels a bit less twangy and country to me, and slightly more rocky.  In any case, both albums are well worth a listen at their bandcamp site.