Screen Door Porch bypassing conventional route to get straight to the music

There are do-it-yourselfers, and then there is Screen Door Porch.

In the music world, this duo has done more than decide to release its own records; it has made a conscious decision to bypass the music machine and have control over all parts of the process, including songwriting, song selection, publicity and tour management.

At the core of Screen Door Porch are Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis, but depending on the day, they could be playing with a quintet, or even a full band, including a cello.

They describe themselves (no matter the band configuration) as groove-injected alt-folk and soulful Americana, with a sound that is not quite acoustic.

And although that description might sound a little complicated, it seems very simple for a lot of their fans. This duo plays good, honest music.

"I really was a late bloomer as far as playing instruments," says Davis, who plays acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and foot percussion. "I started playing at 19, influenced by all the folk music (such as Bob Dylan) I suddenly realized I had missed out on pre-18."

As for Rose, she was influenced by two very different sets of grandparents during her childhood in Greensboro, N.C.

On one side, she was exposed to classic country such as Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. On the other side, she had a grandfather who was a champion shag dancer.

"I have a lot of that music in my head," she explains.

And what results is a magnetic, eclectic collaboration. Rose and Davis, who have been musical partners for more than three years, have just recently gotten engaged.

They have spent the last few months in Austin, Texas, first playing the prestigious South by Southwest music festival, then recording their debut album "Wrong the Right."

On the album, they split the songwriting and the vocals pretty evenly, although they did co-write two tracks, something they look to do more of in the future.

For now, their immediate plans include a summer full of tour dates to promote the album, where the two pack all of their instruments, bring along their yellow lab, Harper, and hit the road.

They will cover close to 6,000 miles in five weeks, most of those logged in the South, where they find their strongest fan base.

"The South is definitely our focus, but we have even sent out CDs internationally. We've really embraced the indie side of things and everything a label would do, we are trying to do ourselves."