Frances Luke Accord Live! at Waynesville Music – Waynesville, OH

When Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers put their songs and voices together, there is a delicate magic that commands the room to attention. The duo is known as Frances Luke Accord, and they are what NPR’s Mountain Stage calls “the definition of lean-in music.” Their soft, contemplative vintage of indie-folk gestures toward a timelessness that honors the Simon & Garfunkel comparisons but pushes beyond into the world of Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez and progressive folk music.

Both raised in South Bend, IN, Gunty and Powers met and began performing together during their time at the University of Notre Dame. Their first release, Kandote, was a bold intercultural collaboration with the Barefoot Truth Children’s Choir in Uganda, a not-for-profit effort which continues to support the choir to this day. Relocating to Chicago in 2013, the duo honed their songwriting craft while releasing two more self-produced EPs, laying the groundwork for their breakthrough debut full-length, Fluke, in 2016. This immersive, philosophically rich album set them off on their first national tour, which included support dates with Darlingside, Anaïs Mitchell, and The Ballroom Thieves.

A remote band since 2017, the duo’s DIY ethos has remained strong since Fluke. Still self-managed and self-produced, the duo has released two more EP’s in addition to their long-awaited sophomore LP, Safe In Sound, out now on Spotify and other streaming services.

Co-produced with Don Mitchell of Darlingside, Safe In Sound is a spacious and deeply textured indie folk record forged during COVID. A pulsing collection of sing-along earworms, it delivers a front-and-center view of the band’s signature tenor duo harmonies. With lyrics that often reflect the exasperation of artists struggling to hang on in a pandemic-worn industry, the album features a number of guest appearances (Darlingside, Liz Chidester, Yeshua, Chris Dupont, and Katie Van Dusen).

FLA’s performance at Waynesville Music on October 12 will be an intimate listening room experience. The venue can only accommodate an audience of 30 people, so be sure to buy tickets in advance and avoid the likely chance that this show will sell out.

Be aware that Waynesville’s Sauerkraut Festival is also happening this weekend. Thousands of visitors to this small village will make parking downtown near Waynesville Music a challenge. But don’t despair! Shuttle bus parking is provided at Wayne Local High School at 735 Dayton Road, Waynesville, and the free shuttle service will run from 8 AM – 9 PM on Saturday from the High School to downtown. Private parking is also available at various locations surrounding the festival.