The acoustic duo Mapache brings reflective, kickback sounds to Big Sur for two shows.

When songs are composed for a specific place, they often speak directly to the parts of the place those musicians appreciate most. Lyrics from songs like “Encinal Canyon” (“The morning star is fading out/Coyotes on the run”) from 2023’s Swinging Stars and albums titles like From Liberty Street shape an intimate narrative of Los Angeles, where the acoustic duo Mapache is from and currently based.

What is a rare thing, however, is when one can imagine those same LA-inspired locations and seamlessly overlay them to their own streets and locales – especially when that place is almost 400 miles away.

Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch, who met during high school in the hills north of Los Angeles and later became known as Mapache, will make their way up the coast once again to Fernwood Resort for two shows this weekend.

The duo has been making music on and off for over a decade, and has crafted a sound reminiscent of 1970s California Cool – think Eagles, Jackson Browne or The Byrds. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2017, was met with acclaim from both critics and audiences. Since then, the group has released four more albums, appeared on numerous collaborations and has maintained a talent for presenting their nostalgic version of sound and place.

The relationship that Mapache seems to have with coastal California, and specifically Big Sur, is one of mutual admiration. Swinging Stars was produced during an artist residency at the Panoramic House in Stinson Beach and Finch has repeatedly expressed his love for the ocean and interest in surfing as motivators for the creative process.

Blasucci has said that there is a connection with the audience that comes through playing music live. As they articulated in “What A Summer”: “Make a cozy place/For all the story lines/Inside my mind.”

Mapache feels like a band making music for moments when there is a longing to kick back, or perhaps specifically, when there is a need to sit by the river, dip your feet in the water, and tune your ear to the sound of two acoustic guitars. It is music for the way one remembers those moments.

“In the morning/When the air is cold/There’s a fleeting feeling/Of your days in school.”

MAPACHE 10pm Friday-Saturday, Feb. 21-22. Fernwood Tavern, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Sold out/Friday; $72/Saturday. 667-2422, fernwoodbigsur.com.