Hardened and Tempered are singing songs from limbo: between love and loss, Texas and Mexico, staying and going. The Austin-based duo, made up of Kristin Davidson and Carolyn Phillips, grew from mid-week jam sessions with friends; a way to relieve the stress from Davidson’s advocacy work and Phillips’ career as an oncological nurse. The two quickly realized the healing and expressive power of music, and Hardened and Tempered was born. The duo’s debut release, The Trailer Sessions, was influenced by Davidson’s three year sojourn in a trailer on the Texas-Mexico border. Sweet folk tracks invoke images of wild landscapes and open roads; it is an album both lonely and comforting, a tender look at the connection between person and place. Songs like “House of the Soiled Dove” and “Crossing the Rio Grande” showcase their textured harmonies, strumming guitar and gentle country aesthetic. Joined in live performance by Jane Gillman, the group came Studio 1A ahead of their album release show at 290 West Club. Check out the full session below!
– Georgina Cook
**Upcoming Shows**
6/28 @ 290 West Club (album release show)
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