The Show On The Road – Mandolin Orange

For nearly ten years, Mandolin Orange, the North Carolina folk duo comprising of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, have made their quietly powerful, deeply-entwined harmonies sing out from stages around the world, Red Rocks to Newport Folk Fest.

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Host Z. Lupetin talks with Emily and Andrew about how discussing Andrew’s southern family history and politics can be like fighting wildfires around the dinner table — and how Emily’s morning running routine has made her more in tune with each new city she arrives in on tour. Make sure you stick around to end of the show where Andrew and Emily play an exclusive performance of “That Wrecking Ball”.

Song – “That Wrecking Ball”

WATCH: Mandolin Orange, “Time We Made Time”

Artist: Mandolin Orange
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Song: “Time We Made Time” (live video)
Album: Tides of a Teardrop
Release Date: February 1, 2019
Label: Yep Roc Records

In Their Words: “I was in a particularly self-destructive mindset when this song came around. The loss of my Mom had manifested itself in many fatalistic forms and the writing of this song was an acknowledgement of that. The use of a metaphor served more as a journey than a tool.” — Andrew Marlin


Photo credit: Kendall Bailey

ANNOUNCING: Three Roots Music Series Joining BGS Podcast Network This Fall

The Bluegrass Situation, a multifaceted media company co-founded by actor and banjo player Ed Helms, is pleased to announce the addition of three new roots music-themed programs to its BGS Podcast Network this fall.

The Shift List, hosted by Chris Jacobs, is a weekly conversation with the world’s top chefs about the music that fills their kitchens, restaurants and recipes. The series features chefs from Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and London, including Noma alums Rosio Sanchez (Hija de Sanchez) and Christian Puglisi (Baest, Ralae); Matt Orlando (Amass); Jessica Largey (Simone, Manresa); and Naved Nasir and Shamil Thakrar (chef and founder of Dishoom). Listen to a teaser here. The first two episodes will be released on September 17.

The Show on the Road, produced and hosted by Dustbowl Revival frontman Zach Lupetin, is a conversation with fellow artists about a modern musician’s life (as the name implies) on the road, while taking a few conversational tangents in between. Guests include Mandolin Orange, Shook Twins, Lindsay Lou, and more. The series premieres this October.

The Breakdown brings together BGS contributor Emma John and The Lonely Heartstring Band’s Patrick M’Gonigle for the ultimate deep dive into bluegrass back catalog. Through six episodes, they peel back the layers of a genre that’s not just hard-driving and high lonesome, but also bizarre, compelling, and full of completely mad stories. The limited-run series premieres this fall.

Other BGS podcasts include The BGS Radio Hour, The String hosted by Craig Havighurst, and the Hangin’ & Sangin’ archive. Subscribe and download at The Bluegrass Situation or wherever you get your Podcasts.

MIXTAPE: Bobby Britt’s Songs of Hard-Won Joy

The songs and artists on this playlist evoke a sense of hard-fought, hard-won, deep and rich joy. It is not a simple, one-dimensional joy. It has the sound of being churned about, tried and tested again. And now, just maybe, the joy being properly vetted, can be enjoyed. I look up to these artists, as they convey a message of calm and confident optimism.

We are all faced with the dualities of a temporal world…birth and death, gain and loss, pleasure and pain.

These songs speak to the strength of the human spirit amidst that world, and give me courage to carry on regardless of what’s happening, good or bad. They also provide a glimpse at an eternal reality of peace and balance (that has nothing to do with time, space or duality) that is hard to see or believe in when I am churning in the opposites…fear of loss, a craving for more and more solidity, and the dread that I will never have or be enough.

We need artists for this very reason; to go beyond our normal, conditioned ways of thinking about life, and to give us a new perspective with which to test our old and sometimes outdated paradigms.

My area of expertise is bluegrass and old-time fiddle. Though I am not a vocalist or pop artist, I gain inspiration from all styles. The feeling and sound of the above mentioned “hard-won joy” is what transcends specific genres for me. A goal of mine is to take this base emotional element, and with it, transfuse my fiddle playing and songwriting.

My hope is that you can find some joy and something to relate to in these songs as I did. Thank you for listening.


Photo Credit Louise Bichan

RECAP: The BGS at Bonnaroo 2017

River Whyless stepped onto the stage at That Tent while the temperature was still bearable, the dust was still minimal, and the sky was bright blue — that signature Tennessee summer haze would come later. Their fiddle and harmonium wafted out over Centeroo like a roots music call to prayer. The BGS stage had begun!

Aaron Lee Tasjan and company took the stage second, with double-drummer power and super-dapper duds. Earlier in the day at the daily press panel, Tasjan referenced iconic one-liner comedian Mitch Hedberg as a personal songwriting influence and inspiration. It seems an unlikely reference point for his rockabilly-infused, hot-and-heavy rock ‘n’ roll, but it all made sense watching him live. There’s a darker, sly, unexpected humor to ALT.

Our longtime friends Mandolin Orange came third, playing with a full band — Emily Frantz in pure white head to toe, looking summery and fresh despite the now-ridiculous temperature, and Andrew Marlin lending festival cred to our entire operation with his rainbow tie-dye tee. They sprinkled old favorites in and among songs from their latest album, Blindfaller.

The crowd had now totally pushed the blanket, beach towel, and inflatable hammock loungers out of the tent, as more and more fans packed the front of the stage for Greensky Bluegrass. Their long jams, lighting design, powerful vocals, and incredible energy brought out the loudest, most raucous cheers and applause from the audience all day. No surprise there! You could hear the crowd roar from almost anywhere in Centeroo.

As Greensky finished their set and exited — to one more round of thunderous applause — dozens of stagehands, artists, and musicians descended, transforming the stage in minutes. The lights came down and the crowd cheered as the Bryan Sutton Band (seriously, could there be a better house band?) tore into a bluegrass medley of “Walkin’ Across This Land” and the burning instrumental “Cricket on the Hearth.” Then, to cheers and hoots and hollers and whistles, Bryan introduced “Andy Bernard” and “Captain Underpants” — aka BGS co-founder and our SuperJam host, Ed Helms. Ed sang Doc Watson’s bluesy “I Am a Pilgrim,” before welcoming back River Whyless to play CCR’s “Fortunate Son.” Baskery, a Swedish Americana (Swedecana?) trio who had performed earlier in the day at the New Music on Tap Lounge were next, performing a bluegrass-tinged, folky cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”

Mandolin Orange returned to the stage and led an epic, all-tent sing along of “Strawberry Wine,” a song perfectly fitting for Bonnaroo. Martina McBride followed, knocking all of us out with her fringed boots and her stunning cover of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” continuing the sing-along vibe. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt Trio cover, so Baskery came back out to join Martina on “Those Memories.” No one in attendance will forget those memories anytime soon!

A couple of bluegrass tunes later and Aaron Lee Tasjan was welcomed back to promptly tear through Todd Snider’s “Pretty Boy” with the Bryan Sutton Band going electric. The incredible Gaby Moreno was next, giving the audience a muah muah muah muah “KISS” — we want more Gaby sings Prince, please!

One of the most moving moments of the night came when Lillie Mae stepped on stage to introduce one of her heroes — the bluegrass living legend, Bobby Osborne. Before he had played or sung a single note the audience applauded for a solid two minutes. Seeing an enormous crowd at a music festival like Bonnaroo acknowledge the talent and impact of Bobby Osborne was outright stunning, but Lillie Mae, Bobby, and Bryan’s three-part harmony on “Beneath Still Waters” was earth-shattering. A long, long round of applause came again. On “Once More” they struck up an amazing three-part blend … once more. At 85, Bobby has still definitely got it and Bonnaroo knew it.

Greensky returned to the stage once again to cover the Boss, rocking it out on “Atlantic City.” Ed called the whole cast back to the stage, Bobby in his bright blue suit and iconic hat, among them. From somewhere in the crowd, someone shouted “Rocky Top!” Others agreed. They knew what was coming. Ed kicked off the Tennessee state song on banjo and Bobby sang the iconic lyrics that he and his brother Sonny first made famous. Not a single person in That Tent or overflowing out of it did not sing along.

For the grand finale, Ed introduced our closing number. Waving U.S. flags on stage, the whole group belted and swayed to the unforgettable, patriotic lyrics of “God Bless the USA.” The climax of the song was not its final chorus, with dramatic stop and crash cymbals though, it was its second chorus, when Gaby Moreno stepped forward and sang in Spanish:

Y a los que murieron por dármela
Nunca voy a olvidar
Ni a los inmigrantes
Que luchan hoy
Con coraje, amor y fe
Esta tierra es rica en diversidad
God bless the USA!

What pride to be from America
Where I live in freedom
I’ll never forget those who died
To give that right to me
Nor all the immigrants
Who fight today
With courage, love and faith
This land is rich in diversity
God bless the USA!

And if that wasn’t exactly what the world needs right now, then it must need John Mellencamp. Right out of “God Bless the USA,” Bryan Sutton morphed the song into “R.O.C.K in the USA.” Last-minute, surprise guest Margo Price sang a verse and rocked out on tambourine with long-time friend Aaron Lee. The musicians all traded solos, launching a friendly musical battle between Greensky’s Anders Beck and Paul Hoffman, as Gaby and Martina shouted along and U.S. flags still waved. Then, Ed signaled the band to drop out, leaving just the crowd singing, jumping up and down with beach balls flying — and our fifth annual Bluegrass Situation SuperJam hosted by Ed Helms came to a close.


Photos by Elli Papayanopoulos for the BGS

ANNOUNCING: BGS SuperJam at Bonnaroo 2017

You probably already know about the BGS Stage at Bonnaroo 2017 happening on Sunday, June 11 with Aaron Lee Tasjan, Greensky Bluegrass, Mandolin Orange, and River Whyless. But, once again, we’ll be hosting our fifth roots music SuperJam to close out the last night of ‘roo.

As always, the Bluegrass Situation brings together the best of bluegrass, Americana, folk, and country for a rip-roaring round of fun guests, left-field covers, and classic favorites.

The 2017 BGS SuperJam will be hosted by BGS’s own Ed Helms with the Bryan Sutton House Band and all the artists from our day stage, as well as Gaby Moreno, Martina McBride, Baskery, Lillie Mae, and more.

See you there!


Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival takes place June 8-11 in Manchester, Tennessee. Click here to see the full lineup.

Win Tickets to MerleFest from Yep Roc Records (+ Mandolin Orange Video Premiere!)

It’s that time of year again … MerleFest is nigh!

This year, four Yep Roc-ers are headed to Wilkesboro, North Carolina, from April 27-30. Tift Merritt, Mandolin Orange, the Stray Birds, and Chatham County Line will all be at MerleFest 2017, and Yep Roc wants you to be there, too.

One lucky winner will get two VIP passes to the fest, as well as hotel accommodations plus a meet and greet with the Yep Roc artists. It’s an $800 value, so get to it.

Enter to win right here

Then enjoy this Mandolin Orange video while you cross your fingers and knock on wood.

WATCH: My Bubba & Mandolin Orange, ‘Satisfied Mind’

Artist: My Bubba & Mandolin Orange
Hometown: Iceland & Sweden / Chapel Hill, NC
Song: “Satisfied Mind”

In Their Words: “We’re happy to have captured this backstage version of ‘Satisfied Mind,’ which we sang as an encore touring with Mandolin Orange in the Fall of 2016. ‘Satisfied Mind’ has been with us for a long time, and we always come back to it in new contexts. It’s such a simple, strong, and grounding song, and always a pleasure to play with new musical friends. It’s message honoring peace of mind is always relevant and is somehow contained in the melodies of the song.” — Bubba Tomasdottir


Photo credit: Terri Loewenthal

ANNOUNCING: The 2017 BGS Bonnaroo Line-Up

That’s right, folks! It’s (one of) the most wonderful day(s) of the year — the day we roll out the roster for Bonnaroo 2017. In addition to the whole B’roo she-bang that features U2, the Head and the Heart, Michael Kiwanuka, Joseph, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and so many more fantastic artists, we’ll be back in That Tent on Sunday, June 11 for the BGS Stage and Superjam hosted by Ed Helms. Last year’s line-up and Superjam included John Moreland, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sara Watkins, Amanda Shires, Lee Ann Womack, the Wood Brothers, and more bringing the roots to the ‘roo. This year …

THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION STAGE AT BONNAROO 2017

River Whyless
Mandolin Orange
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Greensky Bluegrass
The 5th Annual BGS Superjam hosted by Ed Helms and Friends

 

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival takes place June 8-11 in Manchester, Tennessee. Click here to buy tickets.