Partners Monique Byrne and Andy Rogovin were married with kids before they ever sang together, but as soon as they began spinning their soprano and tenor voices into gossamer harmonies, they knew they were on to something special. As the duo Crowes Pasture, they’ve captured their beautiful vocal blend — woven into delicately textured arrangements featuring his guitar and her clawhammer banjo — on two EPs and three albums, and on Sept. 1, they’ll release their fourth full album, Don’t Blink. They will support the release with a series of late-summer and fall performances in New England and Florida starting on Aug. 10.
On July 24, they debuted the single, “Barranco,” on the Americana Highways website, where Melissa Clarke wrote, “This music is just pretty, and the song is a love song of the deepest kind — the kind of love you feel for place and family. Beautifully done and soaring.”
Her assessment touches on a central focus of the album, as specifically expressed via the gently unfolding title tune, in which the folk/Americana duo reflects on the fleeting nature of time and the importance of savoring precious moments. The couple, who met while practicing corporate law, touches on the value of relationships — and appreciating those we love while we can — in several songs, including a moving cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “If I Should Fall Behind.” (The album contains one other cover, “The Night We Met,” written by Ben Schneider of Lord Huron.)
To further enhance their silken melodies and soulful lyrics, Crowes Pasture and coproducer/multi-instrumentalist Eric M Lichter invited a pair of guest fiddlers to contribute on tracks recorded at Dirt Floor Recording Studio, in Haddam, Conn. A bonus track, “Take Back the Red, White and Blue,” was recorded with coproducer Neale Eckstein at Fox Run Studios in Sudbury, Mass.; it features Robin Batteau of Buskin & Batteau on fiddle, and Eckstein on bass.
Named after a salt marsh on Cape Cod and inspired by the tidal cycles of rebirth and rejuvenation, Crowes Pasture offers a thoughtful, moving musical document crafted with considerable skill — and obvious love.
To pre-order Don’t Blink on vinyl or CD or obtain concert review tickets, visit crowespastureduo.com.
Upcoming shows
Thursday, Aug. 10 – Live! At Hale: Music in the Barn, Westwood, Mass.
Friday, Sept. 8 – Sunapee Community Coffee House, Sunapee, N.H.
Sunday, Sept. 10 – Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Mass.
Thursday, Sept. 14 – Gladys E. Kelly Public Library, Webster, Mass.
Saturday, Sept. 23 – Not Just Another coffeehouse, Sharon, Mass.
Friday, Oct. 20 – Church Hill Coffeehouse, Norwell, Mass.
Sunday, Nov. 12 – Concerts at Our Home, Largo, Fla.
Tuesday, Nov. 14 – New Port Richey Public Library, New Port Richey, Fla.
Friday, Nov. 17 – K&H House Concerts, Ocala, Fla.
Saturday, Nov. 18 – Winter Park Library, Winter Park, Fla.
