Folkadelphia Session: Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one, and that’s exactly the case with the married dynamic duo of songwriters Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion. Both are stellar musicians solo, but together, the sum is greater than the parts – that’s some chemistry! You might say that America runs strong in their veins — SLG is the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie (and daughter of Arlo) and Irion is the grand-nephew of John Steinbeck. The two have been crafting their own brand of Americana since the turn of the millennium and have, in addition to solo and other collaborative work, released four albums, including last year’s Wassaic Way. On their latest, recorded with help from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone, the couple indulge their sweet tooth, maximizing big ol’ hooks and bolstering their twang with some heavy power-pop guitar. All in all, you can’t help but have a good time with the band.

On their visit to our studio, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, along with their band, stripped the songs from Wassasic Way down to bare bones, shining new light on these wonderfully catchy compositions. They return to Philadelphia to perform at the Boot and Saddle on June 25th.