Us The Duo
May 19, 2014
The Troubadour- Los Angeles, CA
Getting their start on Youtube and generating over 23 million views worldwide, Michael and Carissa Alvarado’s talents are quickly circulating the pop music scene. This husband, wife duo, better known as Us The Duo have been performing to more and more people and widening their fans base daily. Their recent success may be attributed to Vine, a popular video social network, where the couple have showcased and continue to showcase 6 second song covers where they beat-box, play guitar and piano, all on top of singing. It is clear that 6 seconds per video is enough (and the maximum that one can go while filming a vine) because they have gained over 3.2 million followers in the process which has been only 4 months.
The duo went on rather early for a headlining act but that isn’t something to complain about; they came on stage around 8:40 on a small stage that looked very home-y with a sofa, a table with a lamp and a mirror which had “Us the Duo; No Matter Where You Are I’ll be there ” written on it. The night began with an intro and Make You Mine. Following the catchy tune, Michael told the crowd that the two would be telling them the story of how they met, throughout the night and via songs. He began at the beginning saying how the two met at a movie extra casting and when they left Michael told his friend, “I’m gonna marry that girl” which led him to writing the next song they performed, Girl in LA. Following the romantic pop song, Carissa told the audience that while Michael was writing his songs, she wrote a couple of her own, including the next, Near or Far.
The set was very personal and gave fans insight to their lives, starting with how they met and everything in between. It was basically story telling and love songs describing the stories; it was really interesting and fun to witness. Of course all the single girls in the room wished and hoped to one day find a guy so romantic and caring as Carissa’s husband, Michael; and all the guy’s in the room, single or not, couldn’t stop staring at Carissa and listening to both of their captivating voices.
With artists like these, who gain popularity through things like Youtube or Vine, their fans usually know a song or two and are pretty idle during the show, waiting for the one song they actually know. This was not one of those instances; every single person in the audience was participating, singing, dancing, etc. With every command, the crowd complied, even when a security guard walked across stage before the show, the fans went crazy, cheering him on. It was great to see the crowd so cheerful and full of energy because it makes the show easier for the artists when they know the fans are into it; and “into it”, is an understatement for how excited everyone was. It was also nice to see the wide array of fans on a Monday night, many of them in their early twenties, although there were some children there; and we much rather them be at an Us the Duo show than a Justin Beiber one.
Michael and Carissa played a decent size set with 13 songs which included ’Til The Morning Comes; Final Bow; Smile & Keep Your Head Up; Don’t Lay Your Head; all of which were off their latest album, No Matter Where You Are which peaked on Itunes at #22. They ended the set with 1 encore entitled TV Show Medley the perfect song to end a fantastic pop show. Aside from their romance that was pouring off stage, into the audience, everything about the duo was solid. Their vocals were spectacular, never missing a note. And while Michael showcased his multiple musical talents including guitar and keyboard playing, they both were complimenting each others vocals.
These aren’t just some Vine famous people that go out on tour and perform for a bunch of screaming girls (like some Vinners that you may know); these two are actual musicians that have solid technical musical skill and they have a way to connect with each other and fans alike.It isn’t something you can just watch online, you have to be at their show to actually feel the excitement and love and as corny as it may sound, it’s true.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
