Mandolin Orange performs last minute show – N.C. band will play at Mud and Water Tuesday

Editor’s Note: This show has been cancelled.

North Carolina’s Mandolin Orange will play an intimate, early show at Mud & Water Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Founded on the exceptional talents and chemistry of songwriter Andrew Marlin and fiddler/multi talented vocalist/instrumentalist Emily Frantz, the band has quietly gained steam and won fans nationwide. The band’s debut, This Side of Jordan, was recently recognized by NPR music as one of the top 10 folk and Americana albums of 2013.

With folk associated acts like The Lumineers and those Mumford guys peeking their head into the pop charts in the last couple years and more straightforward pop acts emulating the styles of these bands in hopes of cashing in on that same marketable simplicity, it’s easy to say that Americana music was dealt a blow in terms of authenticity and artistic credibility.

For every suspender and fedora-sporting teenybopper though, there are a dozen artists drinking directly from the mountain stream of this country’s rich musical backlog and who parlay that appreciation into uncharted territory, forging their own contemporary take on that bounty of sounds.

These artists — the Chris Thiles, Gillian Welches, Andrew Birds, Lucinda Williams and The Billy Braggs — they may not sell millions of records, but they care far too much about carving their own groove and paying their artistic debts forward to ever notice.

Mandolin Orange fits into the latter category. The band has much more in common with the brothers Louvin or Everly than they do with the Mumfords of the world. Complimentary talents of this caliber are nothing if not rare and found even less frequently among those not sharing the same DNA.The early returns on Mandolin Orange show them capable of competing with Gillian Welch and her songwriting and performing partner David Rawlings at their own game.

I could go on and on, but the remarkable songs, stellar harmonies, and the command of all sounds American all speak volumes on their own. Don’t miss the opportunity to get up close and personal with an emerging act of this caliber.

For more information on the show and to RSVP, click here.

Check out a performance of “House of Stone” by Mandolin Orange below:

Mandolin Orange – House Of Stone from Live & Breathing on Vimeo.