ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT SPRING SING By LORA GRILLO AND MARIE GRILLO After an unexpectedly strong last act of winter, the weather is finally starting to thaw, and with the warmth of spring comes porch swinging and music listening. Always on the hunt for new local music to check out, we asked Miguel Hernandez — a member of the Astoria Music Collective who books local music gigs — for some recommendations. Here are five of our recent favorites that we believe will accompany the new season splendidly. Two Thirds Goat Annalyse McCoy and Ryan Dunn are the main songwriting pair that make up two-fourths of the Astoria-based group Two Thirds Goat. The band’s blend of country and pop music gives its music a down-home yet soulful sound. “Annalyse is from Inez, Kentucky, a small town in the hills of Appalachia,” Dunn explained. “An actual descendant from the McCoys who feuded with the Hatfields, she brings a lot of the ‘country’ feel to the music.” The duo, joined by Jason Liles on bass and Neil Nunziato on drums, make up the core group, while the band rotates lead guitar and fiddle players, “as the good ones are always working!” McCoy said. After living in Astoria for roughly 10 years, both Dunn and McCoy consider it home. “The small town feel that still defines Astoria, especially the Ditmars area, is what we love most about the neighborhood,” said McCoy. We almost mislabeled Two Thirds Goat’s genre as bluegrass, but the band doesn’t consider themselves that. 20 APRI L 2 0 1 7 “We call our style Americana and write songs that affect them on an internal level,” said McCoy. “We like to tell stories about injustice that everyone can relate to and also about everyday longings, as well as those little moments in your day that just happen that sometimes stay with you.” McCoy focuses on the lyrics, while Dunn is the “groove master.” “Dunn is great at writing hooks and melodies that give our songs a nice movement and feel,” McCoy elaborated. “Other times we write it all together, or all separate. Once we are happy with the structure and lyrics, we will bring it to the band and really tighten up the groove and feel out the dynamics.” Photos by Jared Jeffery Photography Photo by Peter Ward. They’ll be playing at Hill Country Barbecue on April 27 at 9 p.m.; The Quays on April 28 at 9:30 p.m.; and Rockwood Music Hall on May 9 at 8 p.m. If you get a chance to catch them, Two Thirds Goat will be sure to charm you with their entertaining and lively songs. FACEBOOK: TWOTHIRDSGOAT TWITTER: @TWOTHIRDSGOAT INSTAGRAM: @TWOTHIRDSGOAT TWOTHIRDSGOAT.COM Photos by Jared Jeffery Photography
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