About 60 of us gathered for a house concert by Hawaiian singer-songwriter John Cruz on Friday night, March 26, 2010 at the Acoustic Barn in Newcastle, Calif., 30 miles east of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills. John’s skillful guitar licks and soft, smoky, and expressive voice punctuated the two-set, three-hour performance that included ballads and upbeat tunes, liberally sprinkled with engaging stories of the islands. John said that audiences have been particularly warm during his current West Coast tour. “There’s been plenty of ‘Aloha’ all over the place,” he said. Sets included many songs off of his two albums, “One of These Days” and “Acoustic Soul,” mostly self-penned songs but also songs by other talented writers such as "Sitting in Limbo" (Jimmy Cliff). The show included “Island Style,” his sing-along tribute to the tropics: “In the islands, we do it island style; from the mountain to the ocean, from the leeward to the windward side.” Photos by Alan Sheckter / AlSheck@comcast.net. Photos may not be republished without expressed consent of the photographer.