Portland pair fills seats at The Hoppy Brewer

I was raised on country and classic rock. Now, as an adult, I favor hip-hop and rap over other genres. And while I’ve sworn off all country since I was old enough to assert dominance over the radio station, I can appreciate music that crosses over into the blurred lines of genre – even if it sort of, maybe sounds a bit like country.

The Big North Duo, a two-man string band based out of Portland with Paul Prato on the bass and Christian McKee on the mandolin, fits somewhere within those blurred lines. Self-defined as a classic American swing, blues and country music band, TBND is a pair that has many sounds and many vibes.

Last Saturday, April 8, the band played a three-hour, close-knit concert to a group of local Gresham bar-goers at The Hoppy Brewer. The two Portland men played three sets, all a mixture of original songs and covers. Each set was as diverse in sound as the previous.

Prato grew up on the East Coast and came from a punk rock background, musically. He said that when he moved out west in the ’90s, that was when he started to explore alt country and eventually, bluegrass. He met McKee in 2003 when he answered an ad in Willamette Week – “pre-Craigslist,” as he put it – that asked for musicians interested in joining a five-piece band. “So, we’ve got a lot of history between us,” he said.

It wasn’t until 2009 when McKee and Prato broke off into their duo. Originally, it was a suggestion from a friend who owned a Italian restaurant and was looking for live music. Prato initially tried performing with a fiddler from the five-piece band. “We tried that, but we did a couple gigs and it just didn’t really work with the upright bass and the fiddle. So, I was like, why don’t I talk to Christian,” he explained.

At first, the duo called themselves The Mandalinos, but that was quickly thrown out. After roughly two gigs at the Italian restaurant, McKee suggested their current name, and Prato agreed.

With a correct name under their belt, they just had to figure out the music.

“We tried to learn some Italian folk songs. We even brought a book,” Prato remarked.

“Those lasted about four months,” McKee interjected, laughing. “But we brought the house down with ‘That’s Amoré.’ ”

The pair stayed at the Italian restaurant awhile, holding their Thursday night gigs through the summer. From their, more gigs were prompted and the two grew as a duo. The following winter, they recorded their first CD.

“We figured out a way to make it work.” Prato said. “Where he can solo and it doesn’t fall apart – it doesn’t sound like we need a chord instrument behind to carry the music.”

McKee nodded in agreement: “That was the challenge. You know, in a four- or five-piece band there’s so much sound. Which is not a bad thing – it’s great. But when you go from that, to two players right away, and when one of them doesn’t play chords and the other is way high up in the sound spectrum – like, if he solos, it’s sort of like the middle of the music can disappear,” he said. “And if I’m soloing, the chords to certain point fall apart or fade. But we figured it out; we’ve gotten better.”

Since that first, self-titled winter record, “The Big North Duo,” the pair has released a second album, “Sunday’s Waltz,” and is about to release a third, “Two Wheeled Twister.”

Songs from all three albums were performed on Saturday night, with a healthy balance between instrumental and lyrical tracks.

Speaking with the pair, it’s clear they focus a lot on the technical side of things – making sure the music sounds full, making sure they get the notes right – but listening to them perform live, one doesn’t get that impression. Prato, believe it or not, seems to find a way to dance to the beat while still plucking his large, upright bass. McKee keeps the audience engaged effortlessly with banter between songs, and after each track the pair looks at each other with an expression of triumph.

Couple that with the tasty draft beer offered at The Hoppy Brewer and you have a perfect Saturday night.

Asked what exactly they think of when performing such an intimate concert, both McKee and Prato replied, simultaneously: “Don’t fuck it up.”

You can find The Big North Duo on their website, thebignorthduo.com. You can also find their second album available to listen to for free on bandcamp.com. They will be back at The Hoppy Brewer on June 24.