As a weather pattern forms its shape and sound out of the unknown and invisible into something tangible and rare, so does the dirty blues force “little hurricane”. This storm began when CC hung up her chef knives for drumsticks and turned to Craigslist for collaborators. Tone, a songwriter and audiophile could see something different in her drumming and energy. Together they began their musical outlet crafting songs in CC’s living room that within months thousands would relate to and appreciate.

Staying true to the living room vibe, the pair sets the stage with vintage furniture (complete with built-in speakers), microphones, instruments and lamps. You can almost feel the warmth from the tubes emanating from the ratty old suitcase guitar amps. Their equipment’s expanded in the many months since—CC even started singing alongside spare bursts of mandolin and harmonica—but the San Diego duo’s bruised sound is still rooted in restless rhythms and heated hooks on their self-released debut album, Homewrecker. That goes for everything from the seamless call-and-response choruses and windswept strings of “Give Em Hell” to the curlicue chords and doomsayer drums of “Crocodile Tears.” And then there’s “Haunted Heart,” a single that’s already landed on modern rock stations and Gossip Girl telling a story of love from beyond the grave.

As for how all of this sounds onstage, you might want to ask the fans who've been floored by Little Hurricane's dirty blues sets in the past year, from dust-kicking festival crowds at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits to more intimate, buzz-stirring residencies in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. That's when the band's raw power truly kicks in—when you're in their sights and they've got every last amp cranked alongside shabby thrift store finds and moody lights.

"By the end of our set the 'home' we've created on stage is literally wrecked," CC and Tone explain, "with both of us dripping in sweat and looking like a hot mess. It's more rock 'n' roll than the record. With all the rattling that comes from our homemade speaker cabinets, you really feel the dirtiness live. We give it all we've got, and we never hold anything back."