Shannon McNally/Big Smith/Colonel Ford

Shannon McNally lists Bob Dylan, Neil Young and author Cormac McCarthy among her influences, but hers is no country-rock for old men. The Long Island native has done time in LA, New Orleans and now lives in Oxford, Mississippi. These nomadic travels show up in her songs: McNally's latest, Coldwater, shows traces of Laurel Canyon folk, front-porch blues and gospel-tinged balladry. Her voice carries a seductive drawl, like a more forceful Gillian Welch, but she knows when to pull her punches and when to unleash a haymaker. Coldwater was recorded with the late Jim Dickinson and features her backing band Hot Sauce, which will join her for the inaugural night of Twangfest 2010. Big Smith and Colonel Ford will also perform.