Though she originally intended to pursue theater, her side hobby of playing guitar bloomed into something more when she was encouraged by a voice instructor to take her songs to the stage. After temporarily moving to Boston, she launched herself into the strong folk scene with regular coffeehouse performances and recorded demo tapes. And with her growing presence circuiting around, she captured the attention of interested fans, including Baez, who decided to bring Dar on tour and record. Since then, Dar has released a long and celebrated list of albums, which are full of nuanced folk narratives. Perhaps due to her understanding of drama and storytelling, Dar has an impeccable knack for relaying emotions of real and fictitous characters or situations, a skill she has perfected since her debut album "The Honesty Room" in 1993. “There’s the true line of curiosity about living in this world, and I put an importance on observing things right now, which engages me. But my subject matter has changed over the years." In her latest double album, "Many Great Companions," she explores old and new by revisiting her earlier works and topping them with new ones.


Allison Moorer is another acclaimed powerhouse who was raised on a musical diet of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. The younger sister to Shelby Lynn, Moorer had her big break with the ballad "A Soft Place To Fall", which was featured on The Horse Whisperer in 1998. Moorer received an Academy Award nomination for the song, and both critics and fans soon took notice of the young singer. With several charting singles and plenty of highly acclaimed releases, Moorer has set a high expectations for her new release, the pop-influenced "Crows," which was nominated for both a Grammy and an Oscar. This 14-track collection is a departure from country, and the result is a masterful mix of influences and ambiance, from the cool jazz of one track to the Brit-pop piano base of another.

The two songwriters teamed up for an exceptional performance at XPN's Cayamo Cruise in February and XPN is excited to share it on this edition of World Cafe.