Devin James Fry shares this story: He and songwriter Brandy Zdan were roommates in a ramshackle house out in East Austin, E. 17th St., in 2013, a pairing of artistic minds and music makers. And, most appropriately for a pair of like-minded individuals sympathetic to nighttime vibrations, the house was located next to a graveyard, Oakwood Cemetery. One day, moments after Zdan finished recording music for her solo project, Fry had penned a song about the graveyard birds the roommates would hear every morning. They both agreed: “Mourning doves” occupied their thoughts in those moments, and “Mourning Dove” became a part of Zdan’s Backroom Bootleg Sessions.
Zdan has been living in Nashville the past few years, but her current tour for her new self-titled album brings her back to her old Austin stomping grounds, and reunited with friend Fry. And tonight, you can see them both perform at Radio Coffee and Beer, 4204 Manchaca Rd. The music starts at 9 p.m. with Zdan and special guests, followed by Fry at 10 p.m., accompanied by bandmates Sari Adoni on oud, Janie Cowan on upright bass, Clayton Lillard on drums, and Jeff Johnston on the saw.
As Fry himself says, when Zdan is back in town, “We get real loose and we howl at the moon. That is the rule. Help us follow the rule.” Very recommended.
-Photography by Little Brave.
