Aztec Two-Step is an American folk-rock band, formed by Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman at a chance meeting on open stage, at a Boston coffee house, the Stone Phoenix,[1] in 1971. Fowler grew up in Connecticut and Maine, and Shulman grew up in Manhattan.[2][3] The band was named after a line from a poem that appeared in A Coney Island of the MindbyLawrence Ferlinghetti. Former MaineState RepresentativeChris Greeley once worked as a light man for the group.
After two months in Boston, the duo moved to New York City, which remained their base.[4] Within a year after meeting, they had a contract with Elektra Records to make their first album. This self-titled debut on Elektra was followed by three albums with RCA Records.[5] They are noted for longevity as a duo, with a career of more than 40 years of performing together.[6] Fowler once explained, "we've survived with pure guile, DIY's and the support of our fan base which we established by recording on two major labels (Elektra and RCA Records) back in the Seventies."[4]
In 1982, Aztec Two-Step played two sold-out performances at The Door (formerly The Cellar Door), the iconic Washington DC club in Georgetown, becoming the last band to play at the club before it closed. On that night, "possibly as a diversionary move to keep the doors open," the audience called the duo back for eight encores.[7]
Since Shulman's retirement in 2017, the band has toured as Aztec Two-Step 2.0, a term coined by former bandmate Shulman to describe the group's new sound.[9][10]
^"THE ROOTS REPORT An Interview with Aztec Two-Step". motif. 6 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2023. Neal gave us a little slogan, "Aztec Two-Step 2.0" and with Dodie being the primary lead instrument on guitar, keys and vocals, and with the other members we do a lot of 3 part harmonies whereas Neal and I never did that, it's a different approach.
