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Folk aficionados have two chances to see Ryanhood in New Mexico over Thanksgiving weekend. The award-winning folk duo, whose name is a portmanteau of the names of its members, Ryan Green and Cameron Hood, will play Fusion in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 on Saturday, Nov. 29, and San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe on Sunday, Nov. 30.

Ryanhood鈥檚 latest album, 鈥淵es & No,鈥� is set to drop Friday, Nov. 28, the day before their New Mexico appearances. Green says the new album represents a return to their roots, with songs that are 鈥渧ery upbeat鈥� and performance-oriented.

鈥淚t鈥檚 got 10 songs on it, and ... it鈥檚 very much written for the stage,鈥� Green said. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a 10-song album, you don鈥檛 necessarily think that all 10 songs are going to make it into regular live rotation, especially when you鈥檝e got eight albums, like we do. But we looked it over and thought, 鈥楳an, there might be nine of these 10 songs that could make it into our shows pretty regularly, because they鈥檙e just really strong live songs 鈥� really high energy, really good acoustic guitar interplay, really good harmonies.鈥�

Green contrasts 鈥淵es & No鈥� with what Ryanhood鈥檚 last release, 鈥淯nder the Leaves鈥� (2021), which he calls their 鈥淐OVID album.鈥�

鈥溾�楿nder the Leaves鈥� is very dreamy and very artistic and lush,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut not all the songs worked awesome as a duo onstage ... (since) it was recorded and released during a time when nobody was touring.鈥�

Thematically, 鈥淵es & No鈥� deals with divisions, both socially and internally.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in an era where everything is 鈥榯his鈥� or 鈥榯hat.鈥� It鈥檚 just very polarized,鈥� Green said. 鈥淎nd the title of this album, 鈥榊es & No,鈥� is really saying there鈥檚 parts of all of us that we need to accept. There鈥檚 parts of all of us that are both right and wrong.鈥�

Hood writes most of the band鈥檚 lyrics, and Green is responsible for most of their musical arrangements.

鈥淲e do both contribute all elements, but generally he has the ultimate veto, or ultimate say, in the lyrical realm of what we do, and I tend to have that in the musical realm,鈥� Green said, 鈥渁nd we鈥檙e happy to give that to each other.鈥�

Hood鈥檚 lyrics on 鈥淵es & No鈥� give voice to emotions that both members have been feeling in recent years.

鈥淗e鈥檚 more of the philosopher of the band and the deep thinker, which is why he鈥檚 the lyricist,鈥� Green said. 鈥淏ut certainly, we both feel the tension and the ache of the divisiveness of the world.鈥�

Green and Hood attended the same high school in Tucson. When they met, they were lead singers in rival rock bands.

鈥淲e would compete in the Battle of the Bands against each other. His band at the time was called Fallout 鈥� this was before Fall Out Boy 鈥� and my band was called Swivelfish,鈥� Green said. 鈥淎s high school came to an end, we admitted that we highly respected each other鈥檚 work, and we became good friends.鈥�

They started playing together during college breaks, eventually naming themselves Ryanhood. They鈥檝e been together ever since.

鈥淲e started writing songs together right at the end of high school, so that would have been about 25 years,鈥� Green said. 鈥淭he miracle is really staying together that long. There鈥檚 not a long list of bands that do that. If you look at duos, for example 鈥� any duos you can think of 鈥� probably none of them are still together, whether it鈥檚 Simon and Garfunkel or Hall and Oates.鈥�

Green attributes Ryanhood鈥檚 longevity to healthy communication.

鈥淚t takes being a mature human being, and being willing to look at your own role in situations,鈥� he said.

Green, who has been married for 20 years, said it鈥檚 harder to keep a band together than a marriage.

鈥淚 think a band is actually more difficult, because Cameron and I chose each other out of musical and artistic compatibility, but not necessarily everything else,鈥� Green said. 鈥淲hen you form a band, you don鈥檛 necessarily think, 鈥榃ould I want to spend 50 years (touring) in an Acura with this person?鈥欌��

In the early years, they often bickered.

鈥淪tuff happened really fast in the early days. We went from street performing to traveling with Jason Mraz, and there was just a lot of pressure,鈥� Green said. 鈥淪ometimes, it would go fantastic, and we would sell tons of CD. Then, sometimes, the weather would be crummy, and nobody would buy anything, and we鈥檇 start to pick at each other.鈥�

But such squabbles are now a distant memory.

鈥淚 would say, by the time you make it past 10 or 12 years 鈥� as a band or in a relationship 鈥� you鈥檝e learned how to communicate, and you鈥檝e learned how to work through things,鈥� Green said. 鈥淵ou know how to walk away if you need space. You鈥檝e learned how to bring something up if it needs to be brought up. And you鈥檝e learned how to listen and show that you鈥檙e listening. So, at this point, I feel like we鈥檙e an old married couple 鈥� in a good way.鈥�

As for his actual marriage, Green said, 鈥淚鈥檓 better in marriage because of the skills I learned in my band.鈥�

Green believes his and Hood鈥檚 comfort with each other has a positive effect on their audiences, too.

鈥淭he audience sees the two of us being spontaneous, having fun, playing off each other, lifting each other up, and so they feel safe to sort of let go and have that relationship with us, as well,鈥� he said.

Live music鈥檚 ability to bring people together and create a sense of community is more necessary than ever, according to Green.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the anti-internet,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ike, you go to a concert, and suddenly everybody in that room is your tribe, and you鈥檙e cool with everybody. You鈥檙e all together. Whereas the internet pulls people apart, music 鈥� and art in general 鈥� pulls us together.鈥�