The Dutchess & the Duke. Photo by Andrew Waits.
Giving you the music a day early:
Jesse Lortz is the Duke and Kimberly Morrison is the Dutchess in the luminescent country blues rocking duo The Dutchess & the Duke. Following a yearlong 2008 tour behind their debut album She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke, the Seattle duo’s newest album is Sunset/Sunrise, a 10-track, sophomore album of late-night acoustic guitar hymns matching Lortz’s gruff, weary vocals with Morrison’s gentle harmonies, and recorded in Oakland, Calif., by Greg Ashley, a Texas native who’s the leader of garage-psych band The Gris Gris. And it’s Ashley who will open for The Dutchess & the Duke when the duo visit Sticky Fingerz. Also on the bill is the guitar-pop of local artist Bryan Frazier. The 21-and-up show kicks off at 9 p.m., and cover is $8.
Baton Rouge, La., Southern rock-flavored alternative rockers Benjy Davis Project have built an audience the old fashioned way, performing at venues from backyards and small clubs to supporting acts such as John Mayer, Better Than Ezra and North Mississippi Allstars and appearing at events such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Eight years and four albums later, the group is prepared to release Lost Souls Like Us in the spring, a collection showcasing their blending of soul, rock, country, jazz and blues into a tight fusion of alternative rock riffs with the soulfulness of Southern rock. The Benjy Davis Project visits The Village, and joining the band will be Austin, Texas, via Denton, Texas, and Athens, Ga., folk rocking quintet nelo and Connecticut solo artist Andrew Hoover with his acoustic soul, R&B and blues funneled through a pop filter. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the music kicking off at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 advance and $12 at the door.
Formed when Michelle DaRosa departed alternative rock outfit Straylight Run in 2008, Nashville, Tenn.’s Destry combines ’60s pop with folk, country and symphonic rock influences to create gorgeous tracks of pastoral rock ‘n’ roll. Joining the band for a stop at Vino’s are Conway pop-flavored folk rockers This Holy House, Nashville, Tenn., indie rockers Modoc and North Little Rock indie rock collective Bear Colony.
Here’s a shot of The Dutchess & the Duke with a live run through of their tune “Scorpio” from Sunset/Sunrise: