Duo from Lovebettie goes all Nashville as Willow Hill

Lovebettie came along in 2008 with a little thing they called “swagger rock,” sounding at times like Pat Benatar fronting Stone Temple Pilots while also veering into earthier, Americana territory.

One of the reviews of the record suggested that Lovebettie could probably sell its power ballad “Worst of Me” to a Nashville star like Faith Hill and cash in.

“We should have known then,” guitarist C.T. Fields says jokingly. “We have always written country songs and started out wanting to be writers and not performers. That’s why the first album sounded like several different bands. We were writing for multiple genres.”

It’s gone well. Lovebettie was declared by Rolling Stone to be a “Band to Watch” and selected in the top three out of 20,000 artists to perform at the 2014 Grammys. The band has played festivals such as Milwaukee's Summerfest, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Rocklahoma, the Vans Warped Tour and Southby Southwest.

Now, Mr. Fields and singer Alexandra Naples, who are husband and wife, have in fact taken their swagger to Nashville for the side project, Willow Hill, which will release a debut EP June 16. First, the group will play the VIP club prior to the Zac Brown Band show Sunday at KeyBank Pavilion.

“We were already writing songs in Nashville for the country market, and got asked to consider being the artist,” Mr. Fields says. “We were already in love with the songs, so we went for it. It has honestly opened up doors very fast, and the response has been incredible. We did it because we love it, not really because we wanted to ‘go country.’”

The EP was recorded in Nashville’s historic Benchmark studios with producer Zach Abend and Jeff Cohen, of As You Wish Music, who has written songs for Sugarland, Big & Rich and The Band Perry.

Ms. Naples, known for her big smile and shock of magenta hair, applies that powerful voice to the hard rock country song “Don't Let the Door Hit Ya” while also shining on ballads “More Like a Memory” and “Can’t Have My Best.”

The couple has been playing the songs in duet sets for the past two years and fans have embraced them.

“We kept the writing process honest and personal, but we spent more time on the material than we ever have,” Mr. Fields says. “I think that's why the reaction has been so immediate from our fans. It still sounds like us, just with a different instrumentation.” For info, search Willow Hill Music on Facebook.