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Crafting simple songs beyond vocal harmonies and chord progressions, North Carolinian duo Mandolin Orange have seamlessly intertwined gospel, folk, and bluegrass, creating tunes that soothe the soul. GroundSounds recently caught up with Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz for an exclusive interview, check it out below.
For those who are just being introduced to Mandolin Orange, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you came together?
We met at a bluegrass jam through some mutual friends. We started out playing a lot of traditionals together, and gradually gravitated more towards originals. We still like to mix in some traditional tunes and pickin’ tunes every now and then!
How did you choose the name Mandolin Orange?
We were tossing out all kinds of things in the band name search–most of them punny since Andrew was coming up with them. We were surprised when we googled Mandolin Orange and no one had claimed it yet, so we just went with it.
You just released the album This Side Of Jordan. Tell us about the inspiration for the album and what the writing process was like for it.
We were really happy with the way This Side of Jordan came together. It’s a collection of songs that fit together really well, even though we didn’t have a preconceived idea going into writing or recording the songs. A lot of the record was written and arranged on the road, and we went into the studio right after finishing a lot of tour dates. So I think we were feeling really strong, and the songs came out in a really natural, authentic way.
Carrboro is right in the Raleigh-Durham area correct? So I have to ask: Tar Heels, Blue Devils, Wolfpack, or none of the above?
True blue– tar heels all the way!
Can you tell us about your track ‘House of Stone’? What was it like creating this song? What was the inspiration behind the track?
That song came together very quickly. I don’t really remember how I felt while writing it but it’s become a favorite of mine to play. I guess those old hymns that I learned as a boy kind of came out in that song but, instead of reiterating the same points, it more or less questions the mansion of gold reference in many of those old church songs.
How is the local music scene in North Carolina? What is your favorite venue there?
The music scene is pretty hard to beat in NC, we think. There are a lot of bands and musicians who are in great touring acts but are based there, especially in the triangle and in Asheville. It creates a really strong community, without an overwhelming industry presence or competitive vibe.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Find people who you like to play with–that’s who you’re going to sound & create your best with. But I think it’s kind of like sports, and a lot of things–try to play with people who are better than you are because it forces you to rise to the occasion!
What musicians or bands have heavily influenced Mandolin Orange?
So many. We take a lot of inspiration from a lot the instrumentalist/songwriter greats: Norman & Nancy Blake, Doug Paisley, Tim O’Brien, Tony Rice, David Grisman, Gram Parsons, Neil Young. But there are also many contemporary artists who we get into that don’t necessarily fit into the folk or americana classification: Father John Misty, The Books, Cass McCombs, Cat Power. It just depends on the day and the mood.
You guys are currently on tour, what do you enjoy most about being on the road?
We love seeing new parts of the country (and other countries). Just today we were driving through southern Oklahoma, a state neither of us had ever seen before. Somehow we just recently discovered audiobooks, which make the drives a lot more enjoyable.
What has been one of your most memorable performances to date?
Hard to say… but, one show that we always talk about was a house show we played down in Florida. We played two sets while the hosts fried up everything under the sun. After dark they lit a fire and we played a bunch of traditional tunes while folks knocked back a few. During one song we heard this guy start to moan loudly saying “Fuck yeahh, it’s sooo fuckinnn mellowww”. Makes us laugh every time, and is probably one of the more accurate perceptions of our music.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Driving a new minivan.
