On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Seattle-based Americana duo The Local Strangers drop by the studio to share some of their achingly beautiful harmonies and discuss details of their upcoming record. Built around the twin influences of Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, the band expertly wind their way through dramatic folk and pop landscapes while keeping their sights set on creating a unique and earnest noise that owes a good deal to their collective inspirations. You can hear how these specific sounds affect the way they approach their music when they perform a folked up version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” transforming it into a mournful call-and-response narrative that slips gently from the strings of Hart’s acoustic guitar. They blend a soulful country swing with propulsive pop melodies and drape it all across an agile folk skeleton. As Zoli discusses some of their influences (Debbie Gibson, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan), she reveals the various musical histories that have threaded their way throughout her work. Hart, meanwhile, talks about his love of theater, developed from an early age, and how he gained a better understanding of live performance that would shape the way he approached his music in later years. They wound up meeting in the musician’s section of Craigslist 7 years ago and immediately established a rhythmic rapport that would anchor their professional relationship in the years since they founded The Local Strangers.
Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for editing and mixing this podcast.
Episode 60: Caney Village
Episode 59: Derick Anderson
Episode 58: Drumming Bird
Episode 57: Nick and Luke
Episode 56: Derek Wayne Martin
Episode 55: Mountain Creek House Fire
Episode 54: Midnight Promise
Episode 53: No Thank You, John
Episode 52: Hailey Miller
Episode 51: Nate Currin
49: Hannah Murphy
Episode 48: Marcus White
Episode 47: LadyLyn
Episode 46: Gino Fanelli
Episode 45: Chris Johnson
Episode 44: Ben Strawn
Episode 43: Megan Saunders
Episode 42: Ian Sharp
Episode 41: Buddy Shirk
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Beer Today Beer Tomorrow
A Prairie Home Companion: News from Lake Wobegon
Possibly Unsafe
ELITE Content Marketing Podcast
21 & Up