Chicago denizen Robbie Fulks and Seattle's own Danny Barnes have both earned accolades for their lyrical sass. But this Mother's Day weekend, the two Americana iconoclasts will be keeping their mouths shut—and their fingers busy—as they debut their original live score for the silent film Tramp, Tramp, Tramp at Northwest Film Forum. (Showings are Sat–Sun May 13–14 at 3 and 7 pm.)

Originally released in 1926, this slapstick comedy follows the misadventures of actor Harry Langdon, as his beleaguered character tries to save a failing family business by winning a cross-country footrace. Fortunately, great distances didn't pose as much trouble for Fulks and Barnes in the collaborative process as they do for poor Mr. Langdon in pursuit of his prize money onscreen.

"We worked individually, and got the tonal palette together," says Barnes of how they went about the task. "Then I flew out to Chicago, and we worked together pretty hard for a few days, and then I came back home and we worked more; it's pretty easy to e-mail files back and forth. We talked on the phone a lot about how to approach [the music], got going on some general themes, then worked toward specifics." Written for a four-man ensemble (rounded out this weekend by Sprout and Mike Stone), the score includes guitar, banjo, tuba, harmonica, percussion, and viola.

The pair were offered several flicks to choose from for this special NWFF engagement, but found Tramp particularly inspiring. "There are certain rhythms in the shots... the way things move and chug along suggested certain rhythmic patterns." The way the actors used their eyes to communicate expression also informed their melodic ideas, he adds.

For Barnes, who had only ever created music to accompany modern films (i.e., "talkies") before, this gig proved a refreshing challenge. "I've never done a project like this, where you synchronize original music with a pre-existing film that has no dialogue. What I enjoyed most was the chance to recontextualize some of the scenes, and make them contemporary in the harmonic approach. There are some surreal elements to the film, and it was nice writing music to that." The duo plan to record the score for posterity and have already been invited to perform it in other cities.

Langdon—hailed in his era as the comic equal of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton—proved an odd but compelling muse for the duo. "Although I reckon it has some stock silent-film scenes, the [movie] is pretty weird. And Harry Langdon is really odd-looking and kind of... well, creepy," Barnes divulges. "Sometimes he looks like a child, sometimes like an old man, and sometimes like a girl. And it seems like he's completely out of shape, but he's really limber and does all this slapstick stuff."

Okay, so it's definitely art. But is Tramp entertaining? Hell yes, insists Barnes: "I can't speak for Robbie, but I've watched it about 25 times." Run, don't walk, to catch it.

kurt@thestranger.com