San Francisco’s favorite Americana-folk-punk duo Two Gallants returned from touring Europe to their hometown on February 23 and 24 for the 20th annual Noise Pop Festival. Two Gallants will begin touring with new material in the states this fall, including three SXSW shows.
Drummer Tyson Vogel and lead singer/guitarist Adam Stephens chose a nostalgic venue from their early days of live performances, the intimate Edinburgh Castle Pub. The two shows sold out their 100 tickets each within hours of going on sale a month in advance, and the crowd seemed to be long time fans. Vogel and Stephens chose the perfect balance of new songs and old favorites. The new songs went over quite well, leaving audience members incredibly eager for the next album.
New song “How’s It Going Baby Girl” is a classic Two Gallants hard rocker with an amazing edge that’s perfect for dancing along to, while “Girl with the Broken Eyes” finds the duo sharing a mic to mimic an acapela-style, sparse harmonica, tambourine and guitar picking their only accompaniment. Although the rocking song exemplifies the band’s talent at controlled chaos, the slower song is especially chilling as the two sing: “Though they say I’ll rue the day I gave you a piece of my heart/ It’s do-re-mi, dust to dust/ Things all fall apart.”
From their beginning as childhood friends to their shows outside the 24th St. Mission BART Stop to the Edinburgh Castle, Two Gallants have found themselves on tour as far reaching as China and Korea. Their unique sound is rooted in their genuine love of the art of musicianship and performance. These two lads certainly have many great years of contributing fantastic music to the Bay Area and beyond.
–Shauna C. Keddy