Back during the pandemic when concerts were limited to online performances, two musical duos from opposite sides of the country met while performing virtual showcases for Folk Alliance International’s annual conference.
The two duos were Scott Tyler and Mallary Graham of The Rough & Tumble and Tim and Kathy Crosby of Phoenix.
“Promises were made to one day share a stage,” Kathy Crosby wrote in a press release.
The moment arrives Friday evening with The Rough & Tumble and Phoenix teaming up for a concert in Philomath. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Marys River Grange Hall. Tickets are $15 at the door.
The Rough & Tumble bills itself as a “teeny tiny traveling folk band” and plays a brand of folk that they refer to as “dumpster-folk and thrift-store Americana.” The pair started touring in 2015.
Tyler and Graham are recent recipients of the annual Club Passim Iguana Fund — a grant program that has awarded over $40,000 annually to New England-based artists to be used for tour support, recording projects and other necessary expenses.
“We are excited about returning to the Pacific Northwest on this leg of our West Coast tour,” Tyler said. “Being from New Hampshire, it takes a lot of work to get out to the West Coast, so we’re eager to return and play for folks we haven’t seen since before the pandemic!”
Phoenix, an award-winning folk pop duo, have performed together for more than two decades in venues large and small from Las Vegas to Nashville. Tim and Kathy Crosby work out of Salem.
“Phoenix rises in the joy of a sound that highlights the multi-instrumental talents of both musicians while focusing on a variety of vocal styles and abilities,” the duo’s website states.
The Philomath appearance will be the first of two concerts involving the two duos. They will share the stage a second time the next day at the Old Liberty Theater in Ridgefield, Washington.
For information on the concert, call 503-936-8480.