The history is easy: marriage, babies, band. It’s as simple as that. “When we got married and had kids we took a break from making music for about two years,” Stefanie says. “When the itch hit, it was pretty inevitable that we play together. There were about two weeks between starting the band and making the first record.” Their relationship? “Savage and sloppy,” the couple says. And they do bring the kids on tour. “It works out great,” they say. “Since we’re both in the band, leaving them at home isn’t really an option. Our son is always asking if we can go on tour again.”

 

They’re growing into the “rock band” label as they make more music. “All of our music has some kind of foundation in blues, folk, and country,” they say. “Since we made our last record, we’ve kind of morphed into a rock band—a pretty loud one, too.” Chris and Stefanie aren’t new to The Mews—“Between the two of us we’ve probably played The Vaudeville Mews about 10 times.”

 

Show-goers are in for a treat this Wednesday. Their last album was created in three days flat and focused on a folk-y, singer-songwriter vibe. “We didn’t spend a ton of time on arrangements or overdubs, and the record is mostly first or second takes,” the duo says. “This time around we’re going to be playing a ton of new stuff in preparation for the next album, so it should be really fun.”

 

And, like all bands, they love to have people to play for. “Really, it’s a great feeling when people come out to see us,” Big Harp says. They’ll be playing with The Mynabirds and local act Dustin Smith and the Sunday Silos. The show starts at 8 pm and costs $10 at the door. Be there and help welcome these out-of-towners back to Des Moines.

 

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