"We want people to get to know us and hear our stories and feel like they walk away not only knowing our music, but us too," says singer/guitarist Ryan Shotton of the folk and roots duo based out of Saskatoon, Rugged Little Thing.
Shotton, along with wife Jille, who sings and plays banjo, are set to perform at The Gog Feb. 4.
Shotton describes their shows as "a mix of higher energy stuff" and "basically fiddle tunes without the fiddle, so banjo and mandolin and guitar," as well as vocal harmonies.
With their "fiddle music without the fiddle," the husband and wife pair play traditional, blue grass and even "old time," a precursor genre to blue grass that developed out of the Appalachian mountains region in West Virginia.
While blue grass music hasn't had mainstream crossover success, in recent years it has gained a devoted, niche following, particularly at festivals.
"Once you start meeting people and going to festivals, you realize it's a growing movement," says Jille.
For Jille, her introduction to blue grass came in grade two when her parents brought her to a festival.
"I had never heard anything like [it] in my life," she says.
Upon returning home Jille's parents bought her a fiddle, securing her loyalty to the somewhat-forgotten genre. Fittingly, it was at one of these festivals where Ryan and Jille first met, where Jille proposed, and where the two said "I do" last summer.
Apart from the festival circuit, the Shottons say house concerts allow them to freely and comfortably share their music and stories.
"[The audience is] listening to the stories you're telling and the background of the song, so they get a totally different experience" as opposed to in less intimate settings, says Jille.
You can hear Rugged Little Thing at The Gog Feb. 4. It's $20 and doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.. To hear their music online you can go to ruggedlittlething.bandcamp.com/releases. CDs will be available for sale at the show.
