The Texas songwriting duo Dawn and Hawkes, who came to prominence last year when their version of the Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face” charmed the judges and viewers of reality TV talent show The Voice, played a two-set show Friday night in the Gravel Road Concerts series.
After sharing an excellent pot luck meal, the crowd of about 60 settled in and listened to opening numbers “Almost Mine” and “Golden Heart.” Once they warmed up, Dawn and Hawkes stretched out, showing the impression the Austin, Texas, music scene has made on their songwriting and playing.
The couple met in 2010 Austin and married earlier this month in a surprise elopement to Big Sur, Calif. The naked intimacy of their lyrics and Texas-tinged acoustic stylings have made them favorites in folk venues across the country. They said they came to the rural Minburn show from a Chicago performance and would leave afterward for their next gig in Manhattan, Kan.
The Dawn and Hawkes concert came on the heels of the successful Gravel Road Concerts September show featuring the Cavern Beat, a Beatles tribute band that had the rural Minburn farmhouse rocking to the rafters.
“There was a point when everyone was dancing in both the living room and kitchen, and I really thought we were all going to end up in the basement,” said Dani Shirley, who with her husband, Steve Brown, have hosted the house concerts since 2013.
The next Gravel Road Concerts performance is Nov. 8, when the Nashville, Tenn., songwriting team Chasing Lovely performs. Chad Elliott, well known in Perry music circles, will open the show.
