Mollie O’Brien is new to performing at the Palindrome, but the American roots singer has some preexisting roots in Port Townsend, a town she started visiting in the early 2000s, even before she became part of the faculty for Centrum’s first Voice Works workshop in 2005.

“I loved working with Peter McCracken and that small band of artists, as we were inaugurated as brand-new teachers,” said O’Brien, who will be joined at the Palindrome, at Eaglemount Winery and Cidery, by her husband, guitarist Rich Moore. “To have a whole week devoted exclusively to singing was just magical. I really felt like I’d found my tribe.”

After performing at Centrum and venues in Uptown PT, O’Brien hasn’t been able to return to Port Townsend since the onset of COVID until now.

When asked what attendees of their concert on Thursday, April 17, could expect, Moore promised “an intimate sound, like sitting across from us at the kitchen table. We want people to feel involved in our songs. It’s not dance music, but something to intentionally listen to.”

O’Brien noted that she and Moore have known each other for more than 40 years, so even their vocals and guitar work have developed a rapport onstage, which she credited with allowing them to perform more casually together, switching up sets at a moment’s notice, and approaching some songs with a lived-in humor that “lets the audience in on the joke.”

O’Brien is especially optimistic because she sees Port Townsend audiences as particularly engaged with the live music shows they attend. She touted the presence of sponsoring local radio station KPTZ 91.9 FM as evidence of the community’s emotional investment in music.

“Port Townsend is not a big urban center, but a bunch of folks from right in your area made that happen,” O’Brien said. “So many people pass through your community just to play there.”

O’Brien won a Grammy in 1997 for her participation in Sugar Hill Records True Life Blues, and is a member of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

O’Brien and Moore have released 15 CDs, including three as a duo on their label Remington Road Records, as well as a CD with their daughters, Brigid and Lucy Moore, plus Rich’s solo CD, “Voiceless,” recorded in 2020 during the first months of the pandemic.

O’Brien and Moore will be playing selections from their latest album, “Lost in the Crowd.”

What to know

Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. show at 1893 S. Jacob Miller Road in Port Townsend on April 17.

Tickets are available for $25 at rainshadowtickets.com online, or $30 cash or check at the door.