Search - Rick Didia & Aireene Espiritu :: Ten Ton Feather

Poaching from the blues, jazz, folk ballads, stomps, bluegrass and hollars, Rick and Aireene pick, strum, stomp, slide and sing their own brand of stripped down Americana. By taking pieces of the past; your story, my story, our ancestor's stories, they paint pictures of places and people's lives, the day-to-days, little stories from different times and cobble them together to make the old sound new in an old sort of way. Rick plays in various tunings and has developed a unique lap-style playing method that results in an intriguing array of chords, single note lead runs and sliding that looks as if he is chasing notes from one end of the neck to the other. Aireene, a native of the Philippines, plays a 1950 s Martin tenor ukulele, and crafts simple yet hauntingly beautiful songs that are highlighted by her deep and down-to-earth vocals. Individually, they deliver songs that ignite the fire of old memories and carries the listener to forgotten places. Together, their rich mixture of personalities, cultures and musical approaches one simple and the other complex - is precisely what makes their blend of music sing like no other. They draw their strength from a wealth of American musical traditions but conjure up their own route into timeless storytelling. Spending the last year playing consistently throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, along with jaunts to Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Rick and Aireene are encouraged by the response. They have played at venues such as The Bitter End, CBGBs, The Fillmore, Freight and Salvage, and The House of Blues. Together they have supported and/or played with such acts as Rogue Wave, My Morning Jacket, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rickie Lee Jones, Willie Nelson and Odetta. With special guests Scott Amendola (drums), Jon Evans (bass and more), Bill Evans (banjo), Karen Goodman (vocals), Brian Judd (mandolin), Chad Manning (fiddle), and Julie Wolf (keys).