Detroit bluegrass: Escaping Pavement at the Americana in Houston

Escaping Pavement

By Paul T. Mueller

Unfamiliar performers and a rainy weekend can make for a small crowd, even on a Saturday night in a big city. Such was the case when Michigan-based folk-bluegrass duo Escaping Pavement played Houston listening room The Americana on Feb. 24. But guitarist Emily Burns and guitarist-mandolinist Aaron Markovitz, both veterans of what they described as a thriving Detroit bluegrass scene, were undeterred by the sparse turnout, playing three enthusiastic sets that showcased their strong vocals and instrumental skills.

Burns, on acoustic and electric guitars, and Markovitz, alternating between guitar and mandolin, are fine singers, both separately and together. On many songs, they alternated singing verses and harmonizing on the choruses. They featured several songs from their recent EP, The Night Owl, among them the folkie-sounding “Wanderers,” the more uptempo “Fuel the Fire” and the slow and sweet “Dumb Luck,” featuring some intricate interplay between Burns’ acoustic guitar and Markovitz’s mandolin.

They demonstrated what they called their “Southern Michigan rock” chops on “Burn This Bridge” and showed off their bluegrass abilities on “Boll Weevil,” “Old Daingerfield” and “Angel Band.” Other highlights included “Hetch Hetchy,” a tribute to a Northern California valley that was controversially flooded in 1923 to form a reservoir to supply the San Francisco Bay area, and “What Will We Do Then?,” which they recorded last year as a benefit for Earth Day.

The duo also offered interesting interpretations of songs by a diverse group of fellow singer-songwriters, including The Civil Wars (“From This Valley”), Bruce Springsteen (“Atlantic City”), the Rolling Stones (“Wild Horses”), Bob Dylan (“Girl from the North Country”) and Lady Gaga (“You and I”). They regretfully declined an audience request for Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” even though it was accompanied by an offer to pay their bar tab.

Escaping Pavement’s Southwest Tour continues next month with several dates in Texas and New Mexico; their schedule for the rest of the year shows gigs in the upper Midwest and across the country, mostly in smaller venues from Florida to California. This is music worth hearing, from musicians worth watching.