Community News

The Rough & Tumble, a duo featuring Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler,  performed before an appreciative audience on Saturday evening at the Oswego Music Hall.

The duo touts their style as a mix of "dumpster folk and thrift store Americana," but their performance was anything but. Their music is deep and powerful, and the two are versatile performers. They write all their own songs and play a diverse range of instruments - often several at the same time. That versatility extended even to such rarities as the mouth trumpet and the nose flute!

The couple's vocal harmonies are, in my opinion, breathtaking. It's as if the two voices were intended to sing together. Graham sang lead on most songs, with Tyler's smooth tenor voice joining in at all the right spots. Their songs tell stories of love, loss, family relationships, as well as tales from their travels. 

Interwoven between the songs, the pair told stories about their touring life - they do around 130-140 shows per year, touring the country towing a travel trailer with their two dogs, Mud Puddle and Magpie Mae. The two have also recently purchased a house in a quirky New Hampshire village that they'll now call home.

The Oswego show was their final performance of the year, with the exception of one scheduled for New Year's Eve. The couple were headed to Michigan on the morning following the show to pick up a new camper, which they'll take out on the road beginning in January.

The concert on Saturday included songs from several of the duo's albums. "Ain't That The Way," "The Weather," and "God of War" from their latest release, 2023's Only This Far, were audience favorites, and the band was able to coax the crowd into singing along on a few choruses. The band's playing and vocals were spot on throughout the evening, and they were given standing ovations as they played the final notes of "You're Not Going Alone" to close out the second set, and when they played the traditional, "Little Birdie" as their encore.

Opening for The Rough & Tumble was the Music Hall's own Mark Wahl. A guitarist, luthier and singer-songwriter, Wahl performed four of his own songs, including the Christmas-themed "Are There Really Any Wise Men." Wahl received a warm round of applause from the audience before bringing The Rough & Tumble to the stage.

iHeart Oswego gives The Rough & Tumble a 5-star rating - if you have the opportunity to see Graham and Tyler perform live, I highly recommend that you do so. Their music is available on all the major streaming platforms, and also at their website TheRoughandTumble.com.

The Music Hall's Guest Curator Series brings Kerouac, curated by Don Masterson, to the stage this coming Saturday, December 9th, to close out the Fall 2023 season. Tickets are available at OswegoMusicHall.org or can be purchased at The River's End Bookstore in downtown Oswego. The Spring 2024 season will begin on January 13 with a performance by The Adam Ezra Group.