The magic of Chris Kasper’s music appears in the subtle things: stressed words, shifts in strumming patterns, poetic turns of phrase that slip right past you if you aren’t listening close. 

The music itself is a modern Western movie soundtrack. Chris Kasper blends folk and blues in a way that brings together the sounds of the Midwest and the South. The dusty, acoustic Americana guitar playing moves from simple chords progressions and strum patters to light, sensitive finger picking. The fiddle and dual vocals are used sparingly and only ever when the moment is right.  

Classic themes are woven into the songs. There’s heartbreak and redemption; there’s home life and running from the law. A highlight of the session is “City by the Sea”, a tender blues song with incredible finger picking. The lyrics waver between a love song and a lament of love itself: “Say you love me, say you’ll leave me be.” It’s catchy and meaningful, a song with a moody chord progression that never gives up its truest intentions. 

Although the structures of the songs remain simple, Chris Kasper shows that complexity isn’t the direct path to authenticity. He’s singing within a tradition, like everyone is, and Kasper makes sure to put his own mark on everything he passes through.

Donavon Frankenreiter’s songs are hypnotic: once they begin, the whole world falls to the wayside as you’re wrapped up in his ideas. The batch of songs in this session are intimate. Maybe they aren’t like this in other settings, but here we have just two people doing all the work, and it comes out feeling like a very personal engagement with the listener. 

Donavon mixes blues moods with folk songwriting. They are the soundtracks to love, heartbreak, and drinking in a smoky bar. The songs have a natural drawl to them, they’re spoken in smooth language. And as serious as they may get, they always remain in a sunny place. You’ll know that feeling if you listen to artists like G. Love, a musician I was especially hearing in Donavon’s music. It can be fun and funky while still being imbued with the blues. 

The two voices in this session work very well together, but even better than that is the instrumental chemistry. The guitar work here is fantastic and expands by becoming a conversation between two of the same instrument. Whether they’re remaining constant in their chord progressions or running off on a solo, the quality of tone and skill level remains constant.

Donavon’s music feels like it comes from a different time. It sounds just as good streaming across the infinite void of the internet as it would strolling out of a dilapidated radio