Axtell: Argentine/Minnesotan Duo Returns to the Northland

Paul Whyte

Katrina Axtell will be returning to the Northland next week from Argentina to play several gigs which will kick off a five-month, 16-state tour throughout the United States. Her pop-soul duo, called Axtell, brings in the Argentine soloist, Julian Hernandez, and together they weave a delightful set of songs that hinges on upbeat folk among other styles.

In 2015, Katrina went to study abroad in Buenos Aires to finish up a bachelor degree in Biology. There, she met Hernandez, “We both came from the same music scene…then him and I started singing together and some people told us we had really good chemistry and that we should do something with this. We played a lot on the subways and on the streets in Buenos Aires and got a good response from people and we decided to pursue it from there,” said Axtell.

This return will mark the second tour the group has done in the United States. Axtell was raised in Cook County, Minnesota and has some prior experience with symphonic orchestra, but the Spanish-English duo format of the group has broadened her horizons. “With the duet, we are an English speaking and writing band, but Julian was a soloist before I met him and still is a soloist and his music is in Spanish. We do sing a few songs together on top of the English songs we do with our duet,” said Axtell.

The duo did their first tour last year to promote their debut EP titled “No More Monkey Business,” which was released in 2016. This time around they will be promoting their sophomore release titled “Traveler.”
Axtell will be performing at Dubh Linn Brew Pub on Thursday, June 8, and also at The Red Herring on Saturday, June 10. The last time Axtell was in the area, they met members of Mama’s Stolen Horses at an open mic, and they will be joining in on Saturday’s show. Also performing will be Teague Alexy as he officially releases to the Twin Ports his latest album, “Circuit Session.” For more information check them out at axtellduo.com.