Local contemporary folk artists, Ann Granger and Larry Rice, perform at the Arlington Acoustic Cafe at Walter Reed Community Center on Dec. 17, 2024. The duo appeared as part of a monthly concert series held on the first Tuesday of each month to showcase local talent. Less than a year later, they dominate The Roots Music Report’s national charts for the week of Nov. 22, 2025.
Ann Granger of Arlington, formerly of Reston, never planned to stand in a recording studio, much less on the national folk song charts. She grew up avoiding the spotlight, happy to sing with friends but not in front of an audience. But as life changed, her perspective shifted.
“It has become harder to say no to a man who writes love songs for you,” Granger said during a Jan. 23 interview with The Connection.
Granger and Larry Rice of Falls Church now perform as The Two Peas, an acoustic, harmony-based duo that recently achieved a triple chart win. They swept the Roots Music Report’s "Top 50 Folk Song" chart for the week of Nov. 22, 2025, trailing only Grammy-winning artist Patty Griffin in first place to hold the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 spots simultaneously. While the duo initially expected a shorter run, they maintained a Top 10 presence on the national folk chart for six weeks.
On the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Contemporary Folk Song Chart for the week of Nov. 29, 2025, The Two Peas officially held the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots with their tracks “Coppertone and Maggie Mae,” an original; “You and Me on the Rock,” a Brandi Carlile cover; and “A Love Like Yours and Mine,” a Dulcie Taylor cover. That run in the Top 10 “ended up being eight weeks,” Rice said.
The duo expressed their surprise at the results on social media: “We can’t believe it. It feels so good to have people like and listen to songs you’ve recorded.” They noted a particular pride in “Coppertone and Maggie Mae,” which they wrote.
Granger and Larry Rice of Falls Church now perform as The Two Peas, an acoustic, harmony-based duo that recently achieved a triple chart win. They swept The Roots Music Report’s national charts for the week of Nov. 22, 2025. On the Top 50 Folk Song Chart, they trailed only Grammy-winning artist Patty Griffin to hold the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 spots simultaneously. While the duo initially expected a shorter run, they maintained a Top 10 presence on the national folk chart for six weeks.
The duo expressed their surprise at the results on social media: “We can’t believe it. It feels so good to have people like and listen to songs you’ve recorded. They noted a particular pride in “Coppertone and Maggie Mae,” which they wrote.
For Granger, the journey from private music-maker to charting artist almost didn’t happen. “Larry has been trying to talk me into this for a couple of years, and I was very, very reluctant,” Granger said. “This is all totally new to me … it’s been quite a learning experience for me, just the whole process of going into the studio and recording.”
When Granger first walked into the studio, she found herself alone. “I expected to be in there with Larry and everybody else… I had no idea that I’d be in a little room all by myself … just listening to a recording of him … so that I could harmonize with him,” she said.
The band laid down drums, bass and guitar as basic tracks, then added parts on top. They later moved to a different studio specifically to record vocals, where the two could see each other. That studio had two separate spaces with glass between them, so Ann and Larry could see each other and sing at the same time. She contrasted her “little room experience” with how it felt better there.
“There’s a synergy when you’re singing together … when you’re just trying to harmonize with the recording, it’s just not the same… it’s kind of flat, not in terms of the pitch, but… your energy level,” Granger said.
For the couple, harmony is more than a musical term. “Harmony is… a theme, musically and otherwise as well,” Granger said. “We strive for harmony in relationships as well, not just music.”
Granger and Rice hope to expand their reach with house concerts — aiming for listening audiences rather than bar crowds — by attending the multi-day Southeast Regional Folk Alliance conference. At the event, artists showcase their music, attend workshops and connect with venues and house-concert hosts across the region.
Their advice to anyone who secretly wants to play but is nervous about performing is simple: “Go to the Reston-Herndon Folk Club and just do it,” Granger said.
“The audience is so supportive and so kind and loving … they appreciate the effort as much as they appreciate the final product.” Rice added, “Once you’ve done that, then … try some open mics … there’s a lot of open mics in the area.”
The Reston-Herndon Folk Club, an all-volunteer organization in existence for more than 40 years, welcomes all and meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the event room at Amphora Diner, 1151 Elden St., Herndon. Musicians and listeners can purchase their dinner at the diner while attending the listening club. There is a suggested $1 donation for regular evenings, but ticket prices for nights with the concert series vary. For more information and the event calendar, visit the Reston-Herndon Folk Club at https://folkclubofrestonherndon.org/.
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