With 3.7 million followers on Vine and some successful YouTube videos with 25+ million views, husband and wife Michael and Carissa Alvarado have combined their musical talents and harmonious voices to form their band “UsTheDuo”. Starting with their success on YouTube, the couple was encouraged to write their own pop-folk music. Together they signed with Republic Records and created the album “No Matter Where You Are”. The album is full of songs that describe their love story. The album is like a puzzle; each song is a piece of their journey following their passion for each other. They recently received the opportunity to fulfill their dream even more and go on a North American tour. UsTheDuo came to Philly at World Cafe Live on July 20. The atmosphere was very inviting and had a warm and home like feel to it.

The concert opened with singer/songwriter Jesse Ruben. Approaching the stage, his name had not been heard of much before, but the crowd went crazy over his performance. He sang a few songs from his own album such as “Unbreakable”, “Bleecker” and “6th and We Can”. Caroline Glaser, who was previously on The Voice, and Michael Knight joined the stage and sang a couple of their original songs. Caroline also sang her favorite song, “A Team”. When UsTheDuo came on stage, the crowd couldn’t have roared any louder. The couple made the crowd feel like one big family which warmed everyone’s heart. The best part about the whole concert was that all the sounds and beats were made by either their voices or the instruments in their hands. Before every song they explained the meaning behind each. They opened with “Make You Mine” which got the energy flowing. Next was “Girl in LA” which Michael wrote about the first time he saw Carissa.

“There were rainbows and puppies, everything that happens when you fall in love for the first time and first sight happened to me. I thought it would never happen to me, but it did, ” said Michael Alvarado while he described what happened when he first saw Carissa. The songs afterwards described how they made their long distance relationship work, to finally getting married. Carissa sang her favorite song, a cover of “Titanium” and later on, Michael performed a hilarious love song about his profound love for bananas. It definitely got a laugh out of everyone. The couple surprised the crowd when they took out their phones from their back pockets and created one of their infamous Vines with the crowd to post on their profile. The duo ended with their popular song “No Matter Where You Are” while the whole crowd screamed the lyrics and danced along. While leaving, another surprise was right outside the door. Caroline Glaser, Michael Knight and Jesse Ruben were all in the lobby selling their albums and band merchandise. The night was great, encompassing many great performances from true artists.