Through storied acoustic Western folk tunes, husband-and-wife duo Susan and Pat Kearns, known as The Kearns Family, bring the star-studded, clear desert skies of California with them everywhere they go. 

With Pat’s vocals, acoustic guitar melodies and occasional harmonica accompaniment, along with Susan’s upright bass skills — and occasional singing — the pair weave musical stories inspired by their Mojave Desert home. 

Although The Kearns Family moniker is only a year and a half old, the pair has been playing together for well over a decade. 

“It’s really easy because it’s family. It’s just what we do every day. We enjoy playing music together, so we play music almost every day together,” Pat said. “We really like to travel and be on the road and perform for people, but it’s a lot more fun when it’s just family. It’s just the two of us and the dog and those are the folks I’d choose to hang out with anyway, so it’s just really nice.”

Susan is self-taught, and transferred her guitar skills to the upright bass in the early 2000s. 

“What drew me to the upright bass is I was in a band at the time, and we were experimenting with this chamber pop sound that was in fashion,” Susan said. “We had a violin player, and I played upright bass, and that was kind of that time, early 2000s.

“I play guitar, so bass came pretty naturally,” she added. “It seemed like there were a lot of opportunities for bass players and it was something I gravitated to — I like rhythm and I like being a supporting musician too.”

Also a multitalented musician, Pat isn’t just an acoustic guitarist — he’s also the duo’s songwriter. 

“(Acoustic guitar) was just the instrument I gravitated to and I’ve always written songs…on acoustic guitar, for the most part. Occasionally piano or an electric guitar, but acoustic guitar is what I gravitate to,” Pat, who has played the guitar for over 40 years, said. “I really enjoy writing songs. It’s like my way to communicate with the world.” 

Pulling inspiration from his environment, he creates narrative-driven lyrics that play off legends of gold mining, cowboys and bandits. Although his creation process varies, one aspect of his songwriting always stays the same — he must have time and patience. 

“I can’t just sit down and write and it just all comes spilling out perfectly. I have to sit there and let things be quiet and let the ideas slowly boil up to the surface,” Pat said. “When I’m really patient about all that stuff, and sometimes I’ll take days or even weeks or months to write a song, those are the ones that are most rewarding.

“The best ones always come the quickest, but you just can’t depend on those,” he added. “You’ve got to put the hard work in and the time.”

The duo released their debut album, “Together and Alone,” in January. All tracks on the nine-song record were created in the couple’s recording studio. Nestled in the Mojave Desert, the solar-powered studio is an off-the-grid haven for music making. 

“The album is just the two of us in the studio (and there’s) not a lot of frills or whatnot…” Pat said. “We, of course, polish things up and mix them really nicely….but that was our approach. We wanted to present the music very honestly. We wanted what you hear on the album to also be like what you hear when you see us live.”

On Friday, Pat and Susan will perform a selection of their original tunes at their first-ever show  at Steve’s Guitars, bringing their Mojave Desert-inspired legends and lore to Carbondale. 

“We’re going to play songs that will light up your imagination,” Pat said. “You’ll be able to, as you listen to our songs, transport into those places that we’re singing about and the stuff that we’re singing about.

“People say that we have a lot of description in our songs and lyrics and that the mental imagery jumps in their minds when they’re listening to us,” he added. “I feel like that environment, where it’s a really easy place for people to pay attention to the music — we’re just thrilled to be there.”