The Milk Carton Kids and Haley Heynderickx

Lobero LIVE presents The Milk Carton Kids and Haley Heynderickx. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the clown princes of Americana music, are the Smothers Brothers for a new generation. Their blend of rich vocal harmonies, intricately twinned acoustic guitars, and deadpan banter render The Milk Carton Kids practically irresistible. Defying the conventions of melody and harmony is a strategy that the duo has consciously embraced.

The group’s new record, The Only Ones, finds Ryan and Pattengale performing a stripped-down acoustic set without a backing band, returning to the core of what they are about musically: the duo. Blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated duo are a major force in the American folk tradition. Their latest album continues to receive extensive praise, with Rolling Stone proclaiming that “Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan get back to the beautiful basics with The Only Ones.”

Empathetic singer-songwriter Hayley Heynderickx is one of the most promising artists to come out of Portland in the last few years. Through soft acoustic guitar picking and deftly accented trombone sighs, her music immediately recalls folk music of the ’60s and ’70s mixed with a love of jazz radio. But Heynderickx’s singing, with vocals that range from sultry to operatic, belie a tenacity in her soul. Her debut album, named I Need to Start a Garden out of a search for calm through these waves of uncertainty and upheaval, is out now via Mama Bird Recording Co. Heynderickx vacillates between powerlessness (opener “No Face”) and empowerment (lead single “Oom Sha La La”). It’s a balance between exposing and protecting herself, but her generosity of spirit remains the constant throughout the whole album.