The soulful voices of Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry echoed through the packed Pub during Saturday night's concert.

With a wide range of songs including fast instrumentals played on a fiddle and mandolin, to songs with lyrics like "Lord have mercy on the crocodile man," Grammer and Henry kept the standing-room-only crowd's attention during their hour and a half performance.

"Fantastic, mellow music," said UAF student Donald Crocker, who works in the Pub.

"Mind blowing," said Shannon Nelson. "[An] awesome vocal singer."

Nelson said a friend turned her on to Grammer about a year ago and now she has all of Grammer's CDs. "Fabulous concert [and] good presentation," added Doug Peterson, Nelson's husband.

Grammer's first performance was in third grade in an operetta. Since then, she's grown musically. She now has six CDs to her name.

Grammer, who used to be a professional proofreader, lives in the woods with a cat in the small town of Shutesbury, Mass. She doesn't tour as much as she used to and enjoys being less busy.

"It's an alternative lifestyle," Grammer said about being on tour and how difficult it would be to have children.

She added that it's "stunning" to have family all over the country because it "feels like a reunion all the time."

This is the third time she has been to Alaska and her second time to Fairbanks. Grammer was surprised at the number of people who attended the concert, and said she received good promotion by the Student Activities Office.

Asked if she could perform with any musician who would it be, Grammer said with a smile, "I kinda already got to do my dream."

She sang with Mary Chapin Carpenter on her most recent CD, "Flower of Avalon." Carpenter, herself an established singer, is a fan of Grammer and her late singing partner of seven years, Dave Carter, who died of a heart attack in 2002.

Carpenter expressed her condolences over Carter's death, and asked what she could do to help promote his legacy and was asked to sing on this CD. Carter wrote most of the songs that Grammer performs, and "Flower of Avalon" contains nine previously unrecorded tracks.

After Carter died, Grammer searched for a new guitarist and came up with Jim Henry.

Henry and Tracy Grammer have been performing together since 2003. They had never met before their first performance at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Mass. Grammer sent Henry songbooks about 10 days before the performance for him to review the music.

"It was insane, it was great," Grammer said with a laugh. The first time they practiced together was right before the set. Henry sings and also plays mandolin and guitar. "He's such an ace," Grammer added during her performance.

Between the two they play the violin, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and dobro (another type of guitar).

The solid friendship between the two was evident as they talked between songs.

"We went and saw the giant Santa," Grammer said at one during the evening. "I think people think less of us."

"She let the reindeer go," Henry said. "She's a friend to all the critters. That's why I'm here"

"It's been a long three years," Grammer added.