The Emily Duff Band at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1

Emily Duff

Born in Flushing, New York, and raised on Long Island, Emily Duff wrote her first song at age seven or eight, after her mother taught her to play four chords on the guitar; the song was about trading baseball cards. In high school and college, she played in several bands. She then moved to New York City and in 1996 joined guitar wizard Gary Lucas, formerly of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, in his avant garde band, Gods and Monsters; Duff replaced Jeff Buckley, who had left Gods and Monsters to embark on his brief solo career. After a year and a half with Gods and Monsters, Duff gravitated towards roots music with her trio Eudora, and later, another band called Sweetfeed. Duff then went on hiatus from music and started a family. She returned to writing and performing in 2013 with the Americana-oriented Emily Duff Band. Duff released an EP in 2015, and a debut album, Maybe in the Morning, on March 24, 2017. She has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help her finish recording a follow-up, Hallelujah Hello.

Performing an early evening set at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1, Duff was accompanied by guitarist Scott Aldrich, accordion player Charlie Giordano, bassist Skip Ward, and drummer Kenny Soule. Singing tender, melancholy lyrics that included clever, wry twists, Duff's vocals were bluesy and soulful, while the band gave her tunes a country twang. Low-key yet foot-stomping, this was a mature urban take on earthy, southern-fried traditions. On this occasion, Duff wore a Ramones tradition, and indeed, except that it was a steaming hot New York evening, her seasoned dynamic was more punk biker jacket than cowboy fringed jacket. Do not lock Emily Duff into an outlaw country ghetto; her rock and rumble music has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience.

Visit Emily Duff at www.emilyduffband.com.