The Milk Carton Kids Fall Tour

The Read

Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan work in an old and difficult format: close harmony over interlocking acoustic guitars, no drums, nothing to cover a mistake. Their arrangements leave enormous space, and the writing is often mournful in a way that sneaks up. The between-song banter is dry, deadpan, and frequently funnier than most comedy openers. The Ryman may be the best room in America for a duo this quiet. Sound carries in the wood, the pews force people to sit still, and the natural reverb does half the arranging for them. A 7:30 Sunday start, out at a reasonable hour, the kind of show where the loudest thing in the building is a held note.

The Room

Ryman Auditorium

116 5th Ave N

Built in 1892 as a tabernacle by river captain Thomas Ryman, who was converted at a Sam Jones revival — little did he know it would become the church of American roots music.