Posted by AudaWind: Three Siblings, One Sound—and a Whole Lot of Potential
Sometimes a band comes highly recommended.
Sometimes you discover them completely by accident.
And sometimes, someone reaches out to you, tells you about their band, and then—through the inevitable twists and turns of schedules, performances, and life—you wait nearly a year before finally getting the opportunity to see them for yourself.
That was my experience with AudaWind.
About a year ago, Shelby Dufton reached out to Long Island Sounds and asked if I would be interested in covering her band. I was intrigued, but it wasn’t until August 4, 2026, at Eisenhower Park that I finally had the opportunity to see AudaWind perform live.
After waiting that long, there was always the possibility that expectations could exceed reality.
They didn’t.
If anything, AudaWind was exactly what I expected—and considerably more.
Three Siblings. Ten Years. One Band.
AudaWind is a three-piece coastal country-rock band from Cutchogue on Long Island’s North Fork, consisting of identical twin brothers Sam and Ben Dufton and their sister Shelby.
The three siblings have been making music together since the fifth grade and have spent roughly a decade developing AudaWind into the band it is today. Their musical foundation may be rooted in country and Southern rock, but they aren’t particularly interested in staying inside one genre.
Their sound incorporates classic country, rock, pop, and even hip-hop influences, creating something that feels distinctly contemporary while still acknowledging the music that influenced them.
The instrumentation is equally impressive.
Shelby handles lead vocals while playing Hohner bass, putting her in the relatively uncommon position of simultaneously anchoring the rhythm section and commanding the front of the stage.
Sam handles electric and acoustic guitar, while Ben drives the rhythm from behind the drum kit while also adding banjo, acoustic guitar, and harmonica to the band’s sonic palette.
It’s a lot of territory for three musicians to cover.
And they cover it exceptionally well.
Shelby: The Center of Gravity
From the moment AudaWind took the stage, Shelby immediately caught my attention.
There was something about her vocal presence and stage personality that reminded me of Amy LaVere. Not because the two artists sound identical—they don’t—but because both women possess that unusual combination of being the lead vocalist and bassist in a tight three-piece format.
That’s a challenging role.
The bass player is responsible for helping anchor the entire performance while the vocalist is expected to command the audience’s attention. Shelby manages to do both without making either responsibility appear difficult.
Her vocals are powerful and confident, but there’s an approachable quality to her stage presence that keeps the performance from feeling overly polished or manufactured. There’s personality there. There’s humor. And most importantly, there’s authenticity.
She doesn’t appear to be trying to convince the audience that she’s a star.
She simply performs like someone who knows she belongs on the stage.
And that’s precisely why I believe she—and AudaWind—belong on a much bigger one.
The Dufton Brothers
While Shelby may occupy the center of the stage, identical twins Sam and Ben Dufton provide much of the musical engine that drives AudaWind.
Their musical journey began in the fifth grade when their mother gave Sam an acoustic guitar for Easter. Within days, he had signed up for a school talent show, setting in motion what would eventually become a decade-long musical journey for the three siblings.
Today, Sam and Ben bring an impressive range of instrumentation and musical influences to the band.
Sam’s electric and acoustic guitar work provides much of AudaWind’s Southern-rock foundation, while Ben’s drumming establishes the pulse. But neither brother is confined to a single instrument. Banjo, harmonica, acoustic guitar and additional musical textures are all part of their repertoire.
That versatility becomes particularly apparent during a live performance.
The brothers seem to instinctively understand where the other is going, trading instrumental responsibilities and harmonies with the kind of chemistry that comes from spending years making music together.
And it isn’t simply sibling chemistry.
The two are also deeply involved in the songwriting, arrangements, production, and sonic development of AudaWind’s music.
That is where their willingness to experiment really becomes apparent.
Rather than simply reproducing traditional country-rock formulas, Sam and Ben incorporate modern beats, pop structures, and hip-hop influences into the band’s foundation. Songs such as “CHUG-A-LUGGA” and “Life Hack” demonstrate that AudaWind isn’t interested in simply looking backward.
They’re taking pieces of the music they grew up with and pushing them somewhere new.
When Three Musicians Sound Like More
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing any power trio is filling the sonic space normally occupied by a larger band.
AudaWind doesn’t seem particularly concerned about that challenge.
Their arrangements allow each member room to breathe while still creating a surprisingly full sound. Shelby’s bass provides the foundation, Ben’s drumming keeps everything moving, and Sam’s guitar work provides the melodic and instrumental firepower.
My personal highlight of their performance at Eisenhower Park was their rendition of “Free Bird.”
It’s one of those songs that can expose a band’s weaknesses just as quickly as it can showcase its strengths.
For AudaWind, it was the latter.
The performance gave Sam an opportunity to demonstrate his guitar work, and it was one of those moments when I found myself thinking that these three musicians are capable of considerably more than simply holding down a local stage.
There is something bigger here.
From the North Fork to Nashville
AudaWind has spent years developing its sound throughout Long Island while simultaneously expanding its reach toward Nashville and beyond.
That progression makes sense.
Their music possesses the traditional country and Southern-rock foundation that can connect with a Nashville audience, but their willingness to incorporate contemporary elements gives them an opportunity to stand apart from countless other artists competing for attention.
And that may ultimately be one of their greatest strengths.
They aren’t trying to be another version of something that already exists.
They’re taking their own experiences, their influences, their sibling chemistry, and their individual talents and putting them together to create something that belongs to them.
The Original Sounds of Long Island
This is precisely why I wanted AudaWind to be one of the first artists featured in The Original Sounds of Long Island.
I’ve spent years photographing tribute bands and celebrating musicians who recreate the music of artists who came before them. I love that music, and I love the musicians who keep it alive.
But there is another side to the Long Island music scene.
There are artists writing their own songs.
Bands developing their own sound.
Musicians who aren’t simply recreating somebody else’s legacy—they’re trying to create one of their own.
AudaWind is one of those bands.
After waiting nearly a year to finally see them perform, I can say that the wait was well worth it. Shelby, Sam, and Ben have spent years developing their craft, and it shows. Their chemistry, musicianship, versatility, and willingness to blend genres make AudaWind far more than another local band playing the Long Island circuit.
And they’re only 23 & 21 years old!
That’s perhaps what excites me most.
They’ve already accomplished so much while still having an enormous amount of room to grow, experiment, and discover exactly where their music can take them. I genuinely believe AudaWind has a future ahead of them—and after finally getting the opportunity to see them perform, I’d like to be there to document that journey.
Three siblings from Cutchogue. Ten years of making music together. One unmistakable sound.
Their story is just beginning.
These are the Original Sounds of Long Island.
Long Island Sounds 