Delta Sweet Duo — 5 April 2023 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Delta Sweet Duo joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at instagram.com/deltasweetduo

On Wednesday, April 5, host Tom Proctor was joined by the Delta Sweet Duo, an intimate and personable country collaboration from Burlingtonians Sarah Cutler and Nick Losito.

The two musicians are familiar faces in the Burlington music scene, also appearing together in the local bands The Red Newts and The Babes of Butcher Holler. This duo was created as a side project to compliment the couple’s involvement in these bands, and to provide an outlet for a lower-volume, stripped back acoustic side of their self expression. “It's given us a chance to work out a different dynamic together,” said Sarah. “It’s a chance to play all the songs we want to play.”

In addition to being musical collaborators, Sarah and Nick are engaged to be married, and the warmth of their relationship is a palpable presence in the musical work they share with the world. This is exemplified by the first song of their Rocket Shop set, “There’s Never Been a Moment,” which Nick wrote for Sarah, as he mentioned quickly before they began. The song is driven by Nick’s gentle, bouncing guitar plucking and the combined timbre of Sarah’s pure, bell-like vocal delivery blended with Nick’s gravelly warm tones, creating sweet harmonies to bring to life the song’s tender and focused lyrics: “There’s never been a moment in my life / when I can say that I regretted trying / to make the skies clear and blue / over you, it’s what I do.”

For both Sarah and Nick, country music has had a foundational importance in their musical lives. “When I was growing up, my grandpa always had country music on,” Said sarah. “it was usually WOKO, back in the day, when it was Shania Twain, George Strait… I actually was WOKO listener of the week when I was ten. I still have the certificate, and the sweatshirt!”

Nick has a similar familial connection to country music. “The country comes from my grandad as well. When he sang Johnny Cash, it was dead on,” he said. “Definitely a lot of my interest comes from him. I really, though, didn’t listen to it a lot when I was younger… But I got super into delta blues, and that’s where my musical journey started. That was what really ignited my interest in American music.”

This delta-blues-meets-country influence is clearly felt in the closing song of the Duo’s set, “Eggshell Blues,” a minimalist, elegant song featuring slide guitar melodies fluttering over a warm, droning bass note. This sparseness, combined with the chorus moments where Sarah joins in the harmonies and the bass note suddenly moves with them, creates a contemplative, misty atmosphere.

The duo has talked about recording their original work and intends to in the future, but for the time being are busy making arrangements for their upcoming wedding! To stay updated on their future plans, you can follow the Delta Sweet Duo on their Instagram. You can also follow the Instagram pages of Nick and Sarah’s other projects, The Red Newts and the Babes of Butcher Holler.

Text by Gideon Parker

Monochrome photo by Bob Colquhoun