Two Gallants (band) the pair decided to just make music together, plugging Stephens' guitar into Vogel's bass amp in order to play bass lines with melodies. The name Two Gallants was chosen after a short story of the same name from James Joyce's "Dubliners", as both were reading the book at the time and the name "seemed obvious". With Stephens on guitar, harmonica, and lead vocals and Vogel on drums and vocals, Two Gallants began playing house shows around the Bay area and busking outside BART subway stations, particularly the stop at 16th and Mission. Two Gallants released their debut album, "The Throes",
Two Gallants (band) and summer of 2008 in support of the album. After six years of constant recording and touring, Two Gallants took a hiatus starting in the summer of 2008, citing exhaustion both mentally and physically. Stephens and Vogel both spent the time writing material on their own. Stephens released his debut solo album, "We Live on Cliffs", in September 2010 on Saddle Creek Records. "We Live on Cliffs" received mixed reviews, with many reviewers noting that the album was not bad but lacked the drive that Two Gallants records had. Vogel formed an instrumental group called Devotionals with violinist Anton Patzner,