Blue Sky Earth

Using strong vocal harmonies, lively acoustic guitar, and crisp, solid percussion, Pint & A Half performs a western-tinged cross section of American roots-based music. Pint & A Half is the Americana/Alt.Country music duo of Duke and Tami Sheppard, based out of the small Rocky Mountain town of Salida, Colorado. You’ll hear the influences of blues, country, bluegrass, Alternative country, and maybe even some good old rock n roll in their energetic performances. Duke (guitar, vocals, harmonica, percussion): “I remember going to dive Honky-tonks with Dad at 4 years old, and getting up on stage to sing Hank Williams’ Hey Good Lookin’ and Elvis’ Hound Dog to earn Dad a few cold ones. Music was just always around in my family.” Later, he played drums with his Dad in blues, rock and country-and-western bands. Steeped in classic country, folk, and country-rock, his influences range from Porter Wagoner to Steve Earle, to the Alt. Country sounds of Son Volt and Wilco. The unmistakable influence of a drummer’s background can be heard in the duo’s arrangements. Tami (lead vocals, percussion) brings another world of musical influences to the duo: Raised up solidly in the Southern Baptist Church, she performed spiritual music throughout her childhood. Further musical study led her to classical music, and she spent countless hours training her powerful soprano voice to perform the most difficult operas. She’s even been known to sing an aria as a Pint & A Half encore. “We perform both kinds of music; Opry and Opera,” as the duo likes to say. More recent musical influences would lean toward the bluegrass/americana sounds of Alison Krauss and Kasey Chambers.