From a technical standpoint, the basic formula is deceptively simple. Guitarist A.J. Seidner and cellist Mark Ford are the Dead Tree Duo, utilizing strings, vocals, and perhaps a porchboard or a stomping beat. Not much more. But all it takes is a moment of listening to discover an enormous, beautifully-crafted combination of influences like classical music, jazz, and Appalachian that makes their music – their live performances – so mesmerizing. Theirs is a sound that would be quite at home in the mountains, with a driven energy that runs from unsettlingly soft and quiet to a surge of climactic emotion.
Dead Tree Duo are on the bill tonight at Whiskey Shivers‘ guitarist Horti‘s solo residency show at Empire Control Room, 606 E. 7th St. And the bill is rounded out quite nicely with rock trio The Canvas People. All so good. Doors open at 8 p.m. Very recommended.
– Photography courtesy of the artist.
