The Americana folk duo The Rough & Tumble will perform at 7pm this Friday at Artistree, 2095 Pomfret Road in South Pomfret. Their music is described as filled with close harmonies, versatile instrumentation, and deliberate songwriting presented with a mixture of humor that makes it haunting, quirky, solemn, and spritely. The duo’s website promises an evening of “singing sad songs and telling bad jokes.”

Group members Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler are from Nashville—sort of.  In 2015, the pair quit their day jobs, sold their possessions, and started touring the nation in a 16-foot camper. They’re not alone though. They have two four-legged traveling companions—an 88-pound dog named Butter and a new 81-pound rescue dog named Pud.

In the early days, The Rough & Tumble released EPs with names such as We Sing in Your House When You’re Not There . . . we even ordered pizza, which is an exploration of watching other people’s dogs while eating other people’s food, and We Don’t Believe in Monsters, Anymore . . . but will you please check under our beds? It was then that the band discovered they did, in fact, still believe in monsters.  

More recently, the duo put together the soundtrack for friend Alyssa Pearson’s film, Pieces and Pieces. (While the soundtrack was released in March 2016, the movie is still awaiting release.) Also, they just released the 7-song EP Cardboard and Christmas Lights, which joins the sounds from the earliest and latest years of their career for new fans and new songs for long-time listeners. They are currently working on a full-length album to be released in 2018.