Before I post about the two great weddings I photographed recently, shot during the height of cherry blossom season, I thought I'd take a quick second for a shameless plug.

A certain bride named Rebecca might think that I'm stalling for time and she's probably right. But given that this particular bride's brand spanking new husband happens to work at the Recording Industry Association of America, maybe some good can come out of making her wait.

(They're coming, Rebecca, I promise!)

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting a young woman named Tiffany Thompson. An accomplished singer-songwriter, Tiffany needed some photos for a demo CD she was putting together.

I've done a few of these projects in my day. Some are polished, some, well, not so polished. Thankfully, Tiffany falls into the former and not latter category.

What immediately set Tiffany apart from the others was how focused and professional she is. With only the help of her brother, Tiffany wrote the songs, recorded the tracks, created a cool album design and website, and even shot a music video down on the Mall. I wish I was that focused when I was her age.

And, most importantly, it all sounds great, even to an old fogey like me. While American Idol is serving up the same lame-o karakoke each week ("It's Neil Sedaka night, where we'll force all our young performers to sing songs their moms and dads will love!"), there are still scores of talented musicians trying to make a name for themselves the old-fashioned way.

Anyway, you can hear more of Tiffany's music at www.tiffanythompsonmusic.com. As a firm believer in supporting young artists, I say let's tune out of Idol mode for a sec (my sister Jennifer just gasped) and help spread the word about a deserving new artist.

Matt