Husband and wife duo to play local music festival

Warwick — Musicians Stacey Earle and husband Marc Stuart can now add Warwick to their ever-growing list of festivals in which they have performed. They will perform at the Apple Blossom Music Festival, running May 19 and 20, at Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. This talented couple has performed at Merle Fest, Philadelphia Folk Fest, Winter Hawk, Vancouver Folk Fest, Falcon Ridge Folk Fest , and on Mountain Stage radio. They’ve also recorded six CDs. Earle and Stuart met for the first time in 1992 at a songwriters night in Nashville. They knew it would be a balancing act between raising Stacey’s almost grown two children and touring. “When we got married I knew Mark understood he was marrying all three of us - and on that day he did,” said Earle. They’ve each had their own solo careers that started moving when they started their own Indie record label “Gearle Records” in 1998, with the release of Earle’s “Simple Gearle” CD, and eventually, their husband and wife double live CD “Must Be Live.” Stacey cut her teeth on the arena stage playing rhythm guitar in her brother’s band, Steve Earle & the Dukes. Stuart also had his own round of touring with brother Steve. Husband and wife both recall it as a time of glamour: appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” doing gigs with Neil Young. “I had someone tuning my guitar, strapping on my guitar,” he said. “Now we carry our stuff three flights up in the Red Roof Inn.” The couple, over the years, have lived and learned so much from each other by mixing up their musical influences of blues, country, rockabilly, gospel, folk, and pop - what some might call Americana style. They’ve gone on to release their duo albums, and their latest is “S & M Communion Bread.” Stacey and Marc have opened for Richard Thompson, Willie Neslon, Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Ralph Stanley, Iris Dement and Gregg Brown to name a few. They will be performing at the festival, on Sunday, May 20, along with Kevin and Kate McKrell, The Anarchist Orchestra (featuring Pete Seeger’s grandson Tao Seeger), Marty Koppel, and McMule. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For festival tickets and information, call 258-4858.