“Let me guess. You were expecting me to be 6-4 with slicked back hair, weren’t you?” laughed a rugged Thomas Gabriel, who certainly has not adopted his legendary grandfather Johnny Cash’s showmanship style. Gabriel and his guitarist, Derek Toa, performed an acoustic set at the Mystic Island Casino the night of Friday, Dec. 20.

Local musicians John Colucci, Josh Werner, Jeff Propert and JP Fid opened the evening with an assortment of classic rock and bluegrass tributes.