Live music best bets: Robert Earl Keen's Asheville finale, The Feels, Red Clay Strays

When Lange Eve and Sarah Roberts met in 2007, there was no grand plan for a musical partnership.

The pair became roommates via a Craigslist ad and have stayed friends since.

“At the time, Sarah was in a pretty hot Asheville band called Menage, and I was relatively new to the music scene and songwriting,” Eve said in an email interview. “We supported each other's music, and Sarah always joked that she wanted to be my back-up singer. It wasn't until after we'd both had a couple of kids and were in a totally different place in our lives that we decided to actually be in a band together, and it turned out she wasn't joking!

“Most of our song-writing sessions take place standing in her kitchen or on the porch, while at least four kids run around. Now we just kind of wonder why the hell we didn't start this sooner.”

The vocalists are now part of The Feels, which includes bassist Brian Grasso (who played in an indie-folk band with Eve more than a decade ago), Matthew Roberts (drums) and Matt Gardner (lead guitar). Roberts learned to play the ukulele for this group, which will perform at 6:30 p.m. May 27 in the meadow at Highland Brewing.

While the band mixes indie, soul, rhythm and blues and rock sounds into their music, the songs are focused on the lyrics and the vocal harmonies.

“Sarah and I are both songwriters, and we spend a lot of time flushing out harmony parts together outside of band rehearsal,” Eve said. “Our dynamic goes beyond how we sound -- it's also our deep connection and comfort with each other. Of course, we do try to highlight our vocals when we play with the whole group. In The Feels, we work together pretty democratically to format and structure parts of songs together as a band, and the guys' input is just as important as mine and Sarah's. Brian has also written a handful of our songs, and I threw some lyrics and vocal melodies on them.”

Plans are for an EP to be released this summer, as the quintet has spent time recording at ButterTone Studio in Brevard.

The touring party is ending for Keen

In January, legendary Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen announced he would retire from touring in September. He also announced a tour that would take him to many of the cities and places he’s performed during his long career.

Keen, a storyteller known for such songs as “The Road Goes On Forever,” “Feelin’ Good Again” and “Corpus Christi Bay,” will play his final show in Asheville at 8 p.m. May 27 at The Orange Peel.

Keen has toured extensively during his career, which began in 1984, and has had songs covered by Nanci Griffith, George Strait, the Highwaymen, and others. In 2012 he was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012 along with Lyle Lovett and Townes Van Zant.

The Red Clay Strays make Grey Eagle debut

It took five years for Mobile, Alabama’s The Red Clay Strays to ready their debut, “Moment of Truth,” but it finally dropped in April.

The band, which includes Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar), Drew Nix (vocals, electric guitar, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), and John Hall (drums),

They have toured for more than five years and make their Grey Eagle debut with an 8 p.m. show May 29.

The Red Clay Strays’ sound is a mix of classic country, rockabilly, and a bit of old-school soul.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Music: Robert Earl Keen's Asheville finale, The Feels, Red Clay Strays