Chaparelle threw it back to the days of iconic country duos like Tammy and George during their Wednesday morning show at Scholz Garden, part of KUTX's SXSW event lineup. The duo, comprised of Texas-based musicians Zella Day and Jesse Woods, began when Woods and Day’s romance blossomed back in 2021. Ever since, they’ve blended new school twang with the ballads of country past.
The two were musicians in their own right before becoming a duo. In fact, they first met at ACL 2021 where they were both performing. Now that they’ve combined forces, they have refined their harmonies and guitar-picking to create something truly special.
Day’s powerhouse vocals carried the half-hour set as they breezed through original songs like “Sex and Rage” and their most recent single “Bleeding Hearts” along with covers of classics like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” She manages to hone the spirit of both Tammy Wynette and Janis Joplin through her performance, belting out impressive riffs with a little bit of southern twang and sashaying around the stage with her tambourine. Woods, on the other hand, holds the fort down with his insistent guitar and harmonious vocals.
The duo is at their best when they’re singing to each other, which is most of the time. Their chemistry is undeniable, and it makes their performance all the better. This was apparent during the performance of their unreleased song “Playing Diamonds Cashing Checks,” where Woods led the way with his classic Texas-country vocals and Day danced playfully behind the mic to her partner’s singing before chiming in with her own verse. This song is just one of many examples where the two are able to blend their own updated style within a classic country duet.
Chaparelle has created an outlet for these two musicians to capitalize on their strengths and reinvent a classic genre. They are yet to release their first album, but it is sure to be a good one.