Back from our foray into the dance clubs, it’s time to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and the hushed and forboding dark plaintive Americana of The Division Men. This quiet, shimmering beauty is created by vocalist and guitarist J. Spencer Portillo and vocalist/bassist Caroline Rippy Portillo. Caroline’s vocals come in like delicate old lace laid softly over J. Spencer’s dusty and windswept desert regrets, with wistful piano tinkling mixed sprinkled in here and there. “Whiskey piano blues,” indeed.

This Austin-based husband and wife acoustic duo originally formed in Berlin, Germany in 2008. Caroline, hailing from San Antonio, played bass in bands such as Tito and Tarantula. Her husband is a California native raised in El Paso, an influence that exerts itself strongly in both the music and lyrical content of these darkly romantic songs. They released their Under The Gun album, recorded in their home studio, in May of last year.

The Division Men have shows coming up this month in Texas, California, Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado. They’ll be touring with The Black Market II.

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