In tune
Robin and Jimi Davis on making music together, on and off stage

For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I caught up with Pagosa’s most famous musical couple, Robin and Jimi Davis, aka The Robin Davis Duo. Armed with an open-back banjo and a five-string fiddle, the duo just released “Starin’ at the Mountain,” a stunning follow up to their 2015 debut. As some know, Robin and I play together in Six Dollar String Band, with Jimi often joining us throughout the years, and they’ve become a dear part of my life. Their latest album is a must-listen for anyone craving the raw, heartfelt pulse of original old-time music. You can find it on all digital streaming platforms, and as always, see you on the dance floor!

SS: How did this band begin?

JD: Robin had just a little one-bedroom apartment. And whenever Robin would leave, I would use that time to play guitar because I was a little insecure about playing guitar around him just because he’s so good. He’d always come home and catch me on the guitar. And then I’d put it away. Robin was in “Waiting on Trial” at that time, and their bass player was moving. So he kind of brought it up and just showed me a couple of things.

RD: Yeah, I showed her how easy it is to just play a bass line, bluegrass style. I was like, “I know she can do this.” She’s got rhythm. And, two weeks later, we were playing our first gigs together.

JD: We played at Montanya, the rum bar in Silverton. And Robin would kind of shout the chords at me a little bit until I got my sea legs stronger.

RD: But she was totally fearless right from the start, as far as getting on stage and playing super solid rhythmically.

SS: You guys hopped into the studio for your first album in 2015. Some people might know that a lot of material on that has been covered by huge bluegrass bands around the country. I think Green Sky Bluegrass plays “Prom Night” frequently, for example.

RD: Yeah, and The Kitchen Dwellers, “I Control the Rain” sometimes.

SS: What does it look like for you guys when you’re working on new material and trying to put an album together?

RD: We usually write individually and then share it. I don’t think we’ve ever really co-written a song.

JD: I think we both have different ways in which we write material. I primarily write without an instrument. I kind of just write the melodies that come to my head while I’m walking, and then I go to the instrument later. I feel like Robin has such a solid home practice with his instrument that he’s always kind of playing.

RD: I have to kind of play it and tweak it, and … it takes a while. For Jimi, it kind of seems like it’s just “poof,” and the song’s there. Whereas I have to painstakingly tease out every line over the course of a few days.

SS: Tell us a little bit about where the idea for “Starin’ at the Mountain” came from.

RD: We definitely have an appreciation of old time (music) stemming from our experience playing with Six Dollar String Band, but we also do like to do originals. We call it “original old time.” It’s supposed to sound somewhat authentic – something that could perhaps pass for an old song but with contemporary lyrics.

JD: The whole reason I have a banjo is because of the Six Dollar String Band. I remembered that I literally had a banjo in my closet that I hadn’t even really played. It’s like, sometimes you ask the universe for something and then you realize you already have it.

SS: Not everyone can be in a creative endeavor with their partner. What do you feel has made it possible for you guys to be able to do that?

RD: It’s definitely challenging at times. The biggest fights happen right before you go on stage. But if you can master that, then it just makes you stronger as a couple, really, I think.

JD: First and foremost, we are husband and wife. He is very supportive of me and builds me up with confidence. But he also is a very wise teacher, because of his decades of playing. And I do think that because we  live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, our frequencies are aligned, and I feel like that can kind of show when we’re playing.