The Dutchess & the Duke (The Interview)

Photo credit: Andrew Waits

Seattle folkies, Jesse Loritz and Kimberly Morrison, comprise the duo that is The Dutchess & the Duke. They’ve spent the winter touring to support their 2009 release, Sunset/Sunrise. This is an album that unequivocally felt like me the moment I listened to it. 
I was lucky enough to chat with Loritz about what’s on tap for 2010. For me, it’s likely red wine. For The Dutchess & the Duke, it’s a coupla side projects and work on the next D/D album.

1. I am hopelessly in love with 2009’s Sunset/Sunrise. Can fans anticipate any new music from The Dutchess & the Duke in 2010? Or, any side projects?

I am doing a side record with Sacred Bones records out of Brooklyn. Haven’t come up with a name for it yet. Recording it in my apartment. Kimberly is doing some recordings with our friend Greg Ashley down in Oakland. For Dutchess & the Duke, we are working on an EP with Sacred Bones of children singing some of our songs that should come out this year, and then we get to work on the next album.

2. Besides standard musical inspirations, who or what in your lives influenced your songwriting for Sunset/Sunrise? 

Everything. Life. Our lives are really crazy right now.

3. From what I’ve read about your performances, it seems that both of you appreciate the idea of proper etiquette demonstrated by concert goers. In what cities/venues, have you experienced some of your most blissful performances?

New York has been really good to us. We appreciate proper etiquette, but it’s not required! We certainly don’t handle ourselves properly sometimes.

4. Speaking of touring, you recently ended a string of dates with Medication. How was that experience? Did you find that your two styles drew the same audiences?

It was great! Mikey writes fantastic songs and everybody in the band was amazing guys. I think people who are into music were into both of us, but anybody that would come to our show because they heard about us and randomly checked it out may have left scratching their heads. But why would we want to play with a band that sounds the same as we do? Next tour, we are gonna try and bring Meth Teeth, a great band from Portland.

5. What artists would you love to collaborate with in the future?
I have a hard time collaborating. This stuff is really close to me and personal. It might be nice to collaborate with someone to help with orchestral arrangements or something, but I can figure that out myself. I like being able to say I came up with the whole piece.

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