Folk duo Flutes & Low performed their newest music at The Lakely on Friday, Feb. 27. While Ben Pichler is an Eau Claire native, he met and formed the duo with Cambria Haen in Duluth, Minnesota

The duo met at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in the vocal jazz program. 

Pichler said they found a connection through their love of folk and similar artists. They have officially been a duo since 2024.

According to their website Flutes & Low, “relies on the beauty of a simple arrangement, traditional folk structures and the power that music can hold with few instruments and two voices.”

Flutes & Low said their sound is inspired by artists such as Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Penny and Sparrow, Bonny Light Horseman and Iron and Wine. 

Pichler said he grew up near the Eau Claire area. He said it is special coming back to a tight-knit community and to have the chance to say he played here, even once.

While working full-time jobs in Minneapolis, the duo said they still find time to create and release music. Pichler works as an order fulfillment specialist for a music label, and Haen is a substitute teacher and teaches occasional guitar lessons.

The creativity Flutes & Low generates in their music stems from the current seasons and literature they are reading.

Haen and Pichler said what they read seeps into their everyday lives, which comes through in their music. Haen said they both have strong connections with the seasons while living in the midwest.

“We get really harsh winters and really beautiful, vibrant summers,” Haen said. “[You] can’t really deny that you feel different in those, and there’s so much complexity in how that changes throughout the year.”

According to the duo, the name Flutes & Low comes from the poem ‘Inversnaid’, by Gerard Manley Hopkins, in which the artists connect with the strong theme of nature.

“That’s why we have that deep connection with that city [Duluth],” Haen said. “I mean our  namesake is from a poem. ‘Flutes and low to the lake falls home’, is the line of it, and it seemed to fit perfectly into place as a direct reference to us forming in Duluth.”

On March 20, Flutes & Low will be releasing their debut album, ‘Lay Fallow’. The duo said they worked on this album in Haen’s apartment, writing and producing it themselves. Through creating their first album, they found lots of diversity in their songs.

“We do have a lot of heavier ones on there too, and that’s where I feel like it’s most powerful and I connect with most,” Haen said.

After finishing the album, Pichler said they felt a strong sense of relief due to their hard work.

“It’s so special to play the songs live after they’re completely done,” Pichler said. “Because you’ve spent so much time with them, but then you get to kind of take a break, and it’s cool to play them again, kind of feeling them again for the first time.”

For those interested in tuning into ‘Lay Fallow’, you can find Flutes & Low on Spotify, Bandcamp or Youtube. You can also find their event calendar and latest updates at www.flutesandlow.com or flutesandlow on Instagram.

Hattie Goethals can be reached at [email protected].