“Not Now, Nor Ever”The TouristGENRE: IndieLABEL: Firefly Music****

We’ve all seen the poor sap. The dude with the acoustic guitar on a Tuesday night in the corner of your favorite coffee shop straining his voice over loud customers and coffee grinders.

You can’t help but feel sorry for him sometimes.

But every once in awhile one of the lucky ones catches your ear and you are drawn to him — and then you realize how darn good he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Hunter MacDermut, otherwise known as The Tourist.

MacDermut, after moving to Cary from Greensboro last year, has made his rounds at local coffee shops such as Helios and Java Divine. Since signing with upstart indie label Firefly Music, he has upgraded to playing smaller venues.

With the help of Firefly, MacDermut released his debut album “Not Now, Nor Ever” on April 7. A self-taught player of guitar, banjo, harmonica and piano, MacDermut enlisted the help of keyboardist/bassist Thomas Baucom and drummer Josh Phillips to play live shows.

The lethal combination of MacDermut’s folksy guitars and soft, mournful voice will sucker you in with songs such as “La Luna Nueva” and “I Didn’t I Don’t.”

Others like “Thunderstorming” and “When You’re In, You’re In” make elegant use of violins and tambourines.

Lyrically, MacDermut croons about lost love and “the things you should and need to say when you are in a relationship but don’t,” according to him.

While he could easily lapse into the whiny, woe-is-me attitude of many similar artists, MacDermut handles it all well, without sounding too earnest.

Look for this guy and his outfit to start turning heads.