Dana grew up surrounded by music as the daughter of Vinton “Pudge” Likes, a drummer who played with acts like Dave Dudley & the Roadrunners and the Country Squires. Matt’s upbringing in eastern Pima County came with a very different soundtrack. Still, both found their way to the guitar early—Dana drawn to the harmonies and emotional pull of artists like the Indigo Girls, Matt first shaped by west coast hip-hop before discovering the storytelling power of acoustic songcraft. A gifted 1965 Gibson J-50, passed down from Matt’s father, became a constant companion through years of travel in Europe and eventually back home to Tucson.

Their musical paths truly converged while playing together in a church band, where a long-simmering chemistry finally came into focus. Dana’s curiosity about the banjitar soon evolved into a full-blown love affair with clawhammer banjo. Studying under Steve Varney, she embraced his expressive, “sad banjo” approach—an ideal counterpoint to Matt’s melancholic songwriting.

In September 2023, the duo played their first show supporting Paul Domingue and, needing a name for the poster, found inspiration in a favorite lyric: ghost of Caroline. Since then, they’ve carried their close harmonies and desert-seasoned sound to stages across Tucson and beyond, with the journey still very much unfolding.