By Logan Broyles | SDUN Reporter

The name Little Hurricane seems appropriate for this self-described ‘dirty-blues duo’ after they stormed onto the San Diego music scene practically overnight.

A year and a half ago, drummer Celeste “CC” Spina was a bartender at True North Tavern in North Park who hadn’t pounded the skins since high school jazz band more than a decade ago.

Meanwhile, after years of working as a producer at local studios, Anthony “Tone” Catalano had decided it was time to start making some music of his own. He posted an ad on Craigslist looking for someone to jam with, and found Spina.

“We started playing together back when we both lived in North Park,” says Spina. “We were actually living a few blocks away from each other on 30th street.”

They had instant chemistry playing blues together, with Catalano’s soulful voice and raw guitar riffs layering perfectly on top of Spina’s smooth drumbeats and the soft melody of her singing. Together they create a unique sound that mixes the deep, guitar-heavy jams of the Black Keys with the gospel-like rhythms of the Silent Comedy. The two played their first show together at the North Park lounge Soda Bar back in March of 2010, opening for local band River City.

“I was absolutely terrified during our first show, it was my first time drumming in front of a crowd since high school band,” says Spina. “But once it was done I wanted to do it more and more. It’s scary at first, but once you’re up there doing it there’s nothing like it.”

Despite some pre-show jitters, it didn’t take long for Spina to adjust to playing in front of sold out shows and find her rhythm with Catalano. Within the first few months of forming, Little Hurricane established itself as one of the must-see live acts in the city, winning ‘Best New Band’ honors at last year’s San Diego Music Awards (SDMA) before they had even put out their first CD.

Soon after they hit the road, embarking on a tour of the west coast. Along the way they recorded their debut album, Homewrecker. Homewrecker cleaned up at this year’s SDMA despite some stiff competition, taking home Album of the Year and Best Alternative Album over established local band Switchfoot, who won Artist of the Year and won their first Grammy in January.

Despite their sudden rise to stardom, Little Hurricane still holds strong to their San Diego roots. Catalano credits local bands Transfer and the Silent Comedy for having a big influence on their music, and for welcoming him and Spina into the local scene when they first started out.

“There are so many great bands here in San Diego, and we feel lucky to be a part of that community,” Catalano reflects. “We love coming home, we played the San Diego Music Thing back in September and it was like a big family reunion seeing all those familiar faces after being on the road for so long.”

Catalano and Spina have spent the majority of the last year and a half on the road, including stops at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago last month and the Austin City Limits a few weeks back. Yet they still swing through town every chance they get to hit up their favorite local hotspots, including the Casbah, where they hosted their first CD release party last April.

“We always have a great time there playing at the Casbah,” says Catalano. “I think the people that go there genuinely care about good local music, there’s so much energy and enthusiasm. It’s a more intimate venue and you feed off the energy of the crowd.”