Tues. Nov. 24

 In the mood for a male-female duo which plays adventurous art-rock (or maybe free-folk) with a sense of humor and is not afraid of songs about, well, insect goddesses? Meet Dagmar - Jim Bauer and Meghan McGeary - playing Toad, free, Tuesday Nov. 24 at 7:30. We asked Bauer to give us the skinny on where Dagmar's been and where it might be going. Not just to Toad, Tuesday. We mean in the larger sense. He e-mailed us:

"We founded Dagmar in 2005, giving a debut performance at Joe's Pub as a 6-piece "art rock opera" band. We worked the small club scene in NYC (Knitting Factory, CBGB's before it closed, Arlene's Grocery etc), presenting our transmogrifying song cycle about "a guy who can't get out of bed in the morning and an insect goddess who plunges through the ether to rescue him to mystified -- or was it entranced -- audiences. We released our first CD, "Door No. 1" in 2005, the first in a planned trio of albums for the song cycle.
In 2007, taking the recommendation of a street-artist friend to move the operation underground, we started subway busking as an acoustic duo, winning an audition to join the ranks of the MTA's Music Under New York (MUNY) roster of subway artists.  For over two years we have performed mostly in the subways of New York to an average of 6,000 people every hour (see ww.youtube.com/dagmar2, the video called "BuskingRealTime HeadCount" for a very graphic demonstration), discovering it to be 'the best gig in town.'"

Bauger says he found out, "Our audience is people in motion."

In April 2009 they released our second album, "Door No. 2", a duo effort with Bauer (who writes the songs, sings, plays guitar, keyboards and computer) and McGeary (who sings, plays melodica, flute and an eccentric array of percussion) covering all the bases.  As a duo, and with the new album, the music has morphed from "art rock opera" into what they call"free-folk".

In July 2009 McGeary moved to Boston from New York, and with the duo now living in the same city, they are decidedly and very happily a Boston band. To find their audience and keep a rigorous performance schedule going, they have been busking on the streets of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.  They're often asked what Boston is like as compared to New York.  Bauer's answer:  "Boston is more open, less jaded.  People are eager for new things, and are far more generous.  People can be extremely nice in New York, but they're nicer here.  It's smaller, of course, but in a focused, really good way."

But was Dagmar's music heard on the radio? Eh, no. In September they moved their street-busking operation to the sidewalk in front of radio station WERS in a guerilla-style attempt to get itsattention.  They busked in front of the station on three occasions over
three weeks, and succeeded.  They were invited to do a live on-air
performance and interview during "Live Music Week" at the station,

and"Door No. 2" was given a "Top Pick" review on wers.org.  The Emerson College newspaper did a story about their busking campaign, and they won the hearts of many Emerson College students who now follow the band.

 In the spring, when the weather is friendly again,Dagmar will continue its "busking into radio" campaign with WERS and other Boston stations, hopefully including other local musicians in the effort.  Bauer says:  "We have the equipment to do it, so as we make other musician/band friends here, we can bring others along in an attempt to get Boston radio stations to support local musicians in a real way.  I have no idea why they don't
think to do it on their own.  Boston is full of great musicians and great bands, but the last to emerge out of here in a significant way was, I think, The Dresden Dolls.  Radio is much less important than it used to be, but it can still be really helpful, particularly to local bands".

With winter setting in, Bauer and McGeary are moving indoors, in what they call a "scorched earth" campaign of open mics, which, they discover, are incredibly popular and numerous in New England.  Starting in Boston, they're fanning out in ever-widening circles, heading south, west and north of the city.  "Open mics are like the indoor version of street busking,"

Bauer says.  "You never know who you'll find or what will happen, but you always find someone, and something always happens."

For their Today gig Nov. 24, Dagmar will be joined by Steve Latt on fiddle, mandolin, banjo and pedal steel guitar, who is also working with Bauer and McGeary on the recording of "Door No. 3", the third CD.  Recording sessions began this month, and they hope to release the new album before the winter releases its icy grip. (March? April?) Brendan Hogan and his band follow Dagmar at 10.

What's Dagmar's plan for success?  "Grassroots," says Bauer. "One subway station, one street corner, one coffeehouse, one radio station at atime.  We're making music every day and performing almost every day.  Hard to complain about that."

1920 Massachusetts Ave., 617-497-4950 www.toadcambridge.com