Maybe it's the gluttonous nature of America. Maybe it's the desire for bigger louder and more intense. Hell maybe it's conventional wisdom. But most people just don't think a duo is a viable band configuration.
Eleni Vlachos says that's changing to some extent" and hopes this weekend's third installment of Duo-Fest in Durham will help quell the notion that a pair of players can't do enough to satisfy.
Vlachos is now back in her home in Durham after seven months touring with her husband as Beloved Binge and screening her documentary on vegan activism. She said this trek included fewer inquiries about a missing bass player than ever before.
""It's really the ultimate insult"" she said. But this time out we heard it a lot less.""
The reality" she says for the 16 duos who will be taking over Bull City Headquarters Saturday is that limited numbers do not equal limited ability or creativity.
In fact the duo dynamic increases the need for both" as she's seen in her three years organizing the event.
""The sort of general mindset is that you need to have all these multiple layers"" she said. But duos work because people are willing to start from a minimal base and expand upon it.""
But they are certainly not limited to the drum-guitar configuration that seems most logical. That musical diversity is one thing Vlachos finds most intriguing about the groups playing this year's Duo-Fest.
""What I usually see is the sort of experimental sound with technology" that has served the duo using laptops. Others have standard drum and guitar" or you play two things at the same time. It's just a lot of interesting songs.""
This year's undisputed headliner is Vancouver's Mecca Normal"" who made special arrangements to include Duo-Fest as part of their current 25th anniversary tour.
""It's so crazy that they're still out and touring after 25 years"" Vlachos said of the group, whose feminist stances made it an early influence on the riot grrl movement.
For those that work up an appetite, there will also be a vegetarian/vegan potluck, which Vlachos sees as an important part of the fest's sense of community.
It's a nice time to socialize and meet some great people and eat some really great food.""
All that after getting your fill on music. Just think of the whole day as controlling portions without sacrificing taste.
IF?YOU?GO
Time: 3 p.m. Saturday
Location: Bull City Headquarters" 723 N. Mangum St." Durham
Info: myspace.com/durhamduofest
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
