Sporting such elegantly performed and smartly written duets, New Mexico natives Christian Felix & Kendra Lyons moved to Chicago in 2011, but they could’ve truly come from another eraaltogether. Though co-ed pairs have taken center stage nationally as of late – She & Him, The Civil Wars – here’s a team that not only exudes such natural sounds, but is wise beyond their years when it comes to putting pen to paper. It’s that maturity that has brought them opportunities to perform along side a wide range of national acts, from Daniel Johnston to ZZ Ward.
Having begun performing in college back in Santa Fe, Felix & Lyons maintains a flexibility that eludes other acts of their ilk: Having added Jason Peters on bass around September of 2012 (right around the time their debut album Something Between Us dropped), Christian and Kendra remain just as powerful with a backing band as they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder against the world.
Despite the change of scenery, their tunes have an old-west quality but not in a faux, alt-country sense. These are songs with true grit, often accompanied by thunderous, distant percussion (as on the charging “Broke My Heart”), stories of complex love (“Open the Door,” where Felix plays the nearly baritone Johnny to Kendra’s June Carter-Cash) or ghostly tales of travel, like on the charming “N. Bethesda.” Having passed through several of Chicago’s top clubs – Cubby Bear, Goose Island, Beat Kitchen, Bottom Lounge, Hard Rock and Uncommon Ground among them – this is a group well on their way to commanding a substantial local – if not, national – following.