BRATTLEBORO-It’s been a busy summer for Midnight Betty, the Brattleboro-based duo of Chelle Martinez and Oriana Barros. They have played a multitude of shows throughout the area, including popular spots like the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro and Next Stage Arts in Putney.
“It’s been a great summer! We have played, like, 15 or 16 shows,” said vocalist Martinez, who also plays guitar alongside fellow singer, keyboard, and banjo player Barros.
Since forming in 2023, Midnight Betty has become a familiar name in the local music scene. Its next performance takes place at Marigold on Main Street Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.
Martinez and Barros met as members of the Brattleboro Concert Choir.
“We were sitting next to each other in the back row of the choir when a mutual friend, who was sitting to our right, said, ‘You two need to talk,’ and we haven’t stopped talking since,” Barros said with a laugh.
“Yup, we haven’t shut up since,” added Martinez.
The pair quickly became fast friends, evident in the easygoing way they interact and the frequent laughter that punctuates their conversation.
Despite their strong connection, forming a musical partnership was the last thing on their minds.
“It came about rather naturally. I thought Oriana was really talented, and I loved singing with her,” Martinez said. “We both harmonize, which is, like, our favorite thing, so we thought we would go to an open mic and try singing a couple of songs to see how it goes.”
The open mic turned out to be a success.
“As one does when people tell you, ‘That was good,’ you’re like, ‘It was?’” she added.
So they said: “OK, let’s keep doing that!”
And that was the beginning of Midnight Betty, a name they chose for the elegance the word “midnight” represented and “Betty” from a line out of a song that a friend of Martinez’s wrote which referred to all women as “Bettys.”
“Both of us have some history in New York City, and we wanted to capture that vibe,” said Barros about using “Midnight” in their name. “It has kind of a cabaret feeling.”
Barros, who moved to Brattleboro in 2020 after living in Florida, had briefly played in a duo. Most of her musical experience, however, was with choirs and instrumental work. In turn, Martinez spent years singing in a rock band in Austin, Texas, where she lived for many years before moving to Brattleboro in 2022.
“We didn’t come into this with any idea of the kind of music we were going to do,” said Barros. “It was more ‘we like this song, let’s figure out how to play it. Let’s sing stuff we like, and let’s have fun.’”
Staying true to that spirit, they put together a setlist that included songs like “You and Me On the Rock” by Brandi Carlile and “Follow Your Arrow” by Kacey Musgraves.
Because of their shared love of musical theater, they also added “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music, which has become a crowd favorite.
Audiences enjoy the variety of styles Barros and Martinez perform and the chemistry they share, but it’s their vocals that truly define Midnight Betty. Their harmonies are so tight that at times they sound like a single voice, which further deepens their connection with listeners.
After about a year together, the pair played at the Retreat Farm, which soon became one of their favorite venues. That show marked the first time they played with their band, which includes Dave Schottland on lead guitar, Josh Francis on drums, and Paul Martinez on bass.
They continue to play with the band when the venue fits, such as the upcoming Marigold show.
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While they were winning over audiences with their wide range of covers, about a year ago the duo decided to venture into new territory: songwriting. Martinez had done some songwriting in the past, but Barros had not.
“We bring parts of songs to each other and finish them together,” Martinez explained. “The way we write the harmonies actually changes the composition quite a bit, which I think was limiting me when I tried songwriting before. The band has also really helped workshop these songs, so we need to give them credit.”
Martinez and Barros have found that the support and feedback they are able to provide each other through collaborating has proven essential to crafting such solid songs as the catchy “Calling,” which is about finding one’s own path, and the ballad “Out of Your Way,” which explores new love in the wake of heartbreak.
Sharing their own songs in front of an audience was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but they have found the Brattleboro community to be welcoming and supportive.
Now that they have some of their own material, Midnight Betty are excited to start working on their first record which they plan to record at the home studio of Martinez’s husband.
It will likely be an EP, but that could change if they write more songs, which they are eager to do. Juggling full-time jobs and playing on the weekends can make finding time to write challenging, but they plan to prioritize this in the upcoming months.
“I bet by spring we’ll be done,” Martinez said about the record and its planned 2027 release.
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Midnight Betty plays between 40 to 50 shows a year, which is impressive considering the farthest away they have performed is Tree House Brewing Company in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.
They are working hard on their music and do hope to play venues outside of the area, but they aren’t chasing success in the music business.
“I’m just trying to enjoy this as it is and have it keep developing artistically,” said Martinez. “I feel like the purpose of what we do is to touch people and bring them some sort of happiness or connect them with some kind of emotion. We feel good about the gigs we play and the feedback we get and the people we meet. It’s really special.”
Barros agrees.
“I came into this with zero expectations. I never had a goal of like ‘I need to be in a band. I need to be the front person of a band,’” she said.
“So everything that we have done so far has exceeded my expectations in such a great way,” Barros added. “I’m just constantly surprised and joyful about our experiences together.”
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer from Easthampton, Massachusetts, whose work has appeared in various regional and national publications. Marigold (157 Main St. in Brattleboro) will present Midnight Betty’s show on Saturday, Sept. 5, a co-bill with Maddie Cody and Cesar Moreno. Admission is by sliding scale, $0–20. For more information, visit marigold.org.
This Arts column by Sheryl Hunter was written for The Commons.