The Dutchess & The Duke – Il Motore – Monday, January 11th
The night started off with the adorable Montreal band, The Peelies. After a bit of a rough start, it started to pick up, and the girls got the audience wild. These Montreal natives really know how to rock the stage, with a hippy/Indian dress theme and stellar punk rock tunes. It was refreshing to see an all girl band rocking the house and setting the hype for the rest of the night. These ladies are definitely going to be big, so keep an eye out for them!
The next band that took stage was Connecticut’s own, medication. These guys have been on tour for a couple of weeks, and they’re no plain garage band trio. Although some of their tunes sounded alike, the beats and strong vocals were pumped with energy, and kept the crowd going through out all of their songs.
After interviewing Jesse Lortz a couple of weeks ago, I was lucky to have had the opportunity to chat with him yet again over a drink during the intermissions. He was sporting a fur hat, in accordance with the true cold wintery night of Montreal. He also admitted that he didn’t think it was very stylish, but I reassured him that in Montreal, he’s definitely sporting one of the trendier winter hats. After a few more sips and giggles, he was ready and pumped to hit the stage and perform for his Montreal fan base.
After two punk rocking opening acts, I was very excited to see the main performance of the night. The mood in Il Motore became a bit more mellow and earthy as the main act of the night took the stage. When the duo that makes up The Dutchess & The Duke started their set, I knew that this was going to be a different experience from the two previous bands. Lead by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Jesse Lortz, and fellow vocalist/guitarist Kimberly Morrison, the acoustic set was raw, passionate, and wonderful. The duo mostly played songs from their latest album, Sunset/Sunrise, and a few from their debut album She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke. You could see just how dedicated these two are to their songs, by making sure their soundcheck was absolutely perfect before they would continue onto the next tunes. The song that really stole the night away was “Hands” featured on their latest album, which was truly captivating. It literally left the audience stunned in awe, and when the song was over there was a deep silence in the room until the audience erupted into applause. The Dutch & Duke did not fail to please their fans. Two fans were even lucky enough to have a personalized Happy Birthday sung them to them on stage (Happy Birthday Amanda and Audrey!)
The show was truly one not to be missed. I hope that the Montreal chill didn’t scare off the Dutchess & the Duke, and that they will be back sooner rather than later. I, for one, am now inspired to go buy a trendy fur hat. – Sarah Touyz
The Peelies
medication
The Dutchess & The Duke
(Photography by Kenneth Suss)
