The Rough & Tumble

When I booked The Rough & Tumble for their first show here in 2019, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect beforehand. Then, from the moment they pulled up in their camper, Mallory and Scott proceeded to blow all my preconceptions out of the water. What followed was easily one of the most delightful evenings of entertainment ever to grace the Common House Concerts stage. The music was stellar, the stage banter was hilarious, the performance was full of unexpected little nuggets. I am thrilled to welcome them back!

“I laughed my ass off, I cried buckets. By the third song I realized I need to pace myself!” — Aubrey, Reidsville, NC

Writing and performing together since 2007, Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler inevitably formed The Rough & Tumble in 2011 as the friends turned into bandmates. In 2015, after a bad Nashville landlord left them without heat for twelve days during an ice storm, the bandmates-turning-spouses decided to hit the road. They sold everything they could, bought a sixteen-foot camper (despite the warning of their families and the lot salesman), packed up their instruments, their dogs, and a couple of small trinkets shaped like elephants and mice that they couldn’t part with, and hit the road. They’ve been touring relentlessly ever since with their two 100 lb rescue dogs, Mud Puddle and Magpie Mae, in spite of multiple burnt-up axles, busted tires, and consistent water leaks.

It takes determination and stamina to live this hardscrabble lifestyle, but not as much as it takes for them to stay still. With some luck and old-fashioned working together, you’ll be able to see The Rough & Tumble pull their camper into your town to do what they do best; speaking up until they’re heard. We suggest you do the same.