Finding the Third Voice

The Rise of Weary Ramblers

When you sit down with

Kathryn Severing Fox

and

Chad Elliott

—better known together as Weary Ramblers—you don’t just talk about music. You feel it. It hums in the space between their words, in the melodies they recall mid-sentence, and in the stories they tell of risking everything to live an artist’s life on their own terms.

I recorded this episode of Maxwell’s Iowa CoffeeCast in the middle of a creative storm. Tanner Taylor was laying down piano tracks in the background at Golden Bear Records, where the duo is putting the finishing touches on their second album, Driftwood. That subtle ambient hum felt just right—like a soundtrack to the unfolding of a truly remarkable collaboration.

A Musical Match Made in Quarantine

Kathryn and Chad didn’t meet in a traditional way. Like many pandemic-era connections, theirs began online. Both were livestreaming music during lockdowns and found themselves admiring each other’s work from afar. Eventually, Chad—who was creating live painting videos at the time—reached out to Kathryn for help scoring a few of them.

“She composed a couple of instrumentals,” Chad recalled. “And then we were kind of like… ‘aha!’ That’s how it started.”

That creative spark led to a bigger ask: a concert together. “I thought, okay, maybe now he’ll do a show with me,” Kathryn joked. It turned out to be the beginning of something neither of them could have predicted.

Their first rehearsal happened at the community college where Kathryn teaches. She still remembers the moment vividly: “He came in with charts for all my songs. I had never had anyone do that before.”

What happened next was pure musical magic. “We started harmonizing right away,” Kathryn said. “It felt seamless.” Chad agreed: “Our voices just matched. It was a no-brainer—we had to do this as a duo.”

Finding a Third Voice

When Kathryn and Chad write songs together, something unusual happens. They describe it as a “third voice”—a sound and style that exists only when they’re writing together.

“It’s almost like harmonizing,” Kathryn explained. “There’s your voice, his voice, and then something in between that becomes its own thing.”

That “something” is on full display in Driftwood, their upcoming 12-track album of all-original, co-written material. The songs are steeped in folk, bluegrass and Americana, but also carry notes of soul, and even classical influences—thanks to Kathryn’s background as a trained violist.

Chad, a longtime Iowa folk artist, brings his storytelling roots and poetic grit to the table. “All my songs are journal entries,” he said. “They’re for my great-grandkids, maybe someday. But really, they’re for me—to help make sense of life.”

From Ventriloquism to Viola: The Roads Less Traveled

Neither Kathryn nor Chad took the traditional route into music. Kathryn earned a master’s degree in classical viola performance and imagined herself in an orchestra or classroom. “I was working five jobs outside of music,” she said, “and then I realized—I have to take a risk on myself.”

That risk paid off, leading her to perform internationally in a high-energy, genre-blending ensemble similar to Celtic Women. Touring with that group taught her not just performance, but band dynamics, endurance, and respect for the craft.

Chad’s story is just as winding. “I wanted to be a ventriloquist when I was five,” he laughed. That dream morphed into visual art, which led him to art school and nearly into teaching. But while he was earning his MFA, songwriting took hold of him.

“My professors could see it,” he said. “They knew I was more interested in what was happening musically than sculpturally.” He left grad school and never looked back, eventually building a life through painting, songwriting, and performance.

A Life Built on Song—and Community

In our conversation, I asked about performance nerves. After all, these two have played big stages and intimate house concerts. “I get more nervous when only three people show up,” Chad said, half-joking. “You start wondering if they want to leave.”

“But I’m playing with my best friend,” Kathryn added, “so I just look at him and I’m fine.”

That deep connection is what fuels both their creative process and their fan support. Their recent Kickstarter to fund Driftwood was a success not just because of the music—but because of the relationships they’ve built with their audience.

“Some fans help us load our gear,” Kathryn smiled. “They know our setup better than we do. We call them our Rambler family.”

The album itself is being built with intention—handpicked session players, charted melodies, and a team of radio and print promoters to get the word out. But at the center is a belief in the music and the message. “We’re not chasing trends,” said Chad. “We’re building something real.”

Songwriting as Daily Practice

Both Kathryn and Chad believe creativity is a muscle—and one that has to be used daily. Whether it’s writing to a chord progression, a feeling, or even just a passing phrase, they treat songwriting like showing up for a workout.

“If I’ve learned anything from Chad,” Kathryn said, “it’s that if I write every day, the songs start to flow more naturally.”

“Everyone has creativity,” Chad added. “Not everyone uses it. But if you practice it, like an instrument, you’ll get better.”

The Drift Ahead

Driftwood is expected to release later this year, with early access going to Kickstarter backers. The duo will continue performing throughout the Midwest, offering house concerts, original songs, and something you can’t stream—a human connection.

If there’s one takeaway from my time with Weary Ramblers, it’s that beautiful things happen when you take a chance on yourself—and find someone whose harmony feels like home.

Catch the full episode of Maxwell’s Iowa CoffeeCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at

https://maxwells-iowa.captivate.fm