Hours after Barack Obama took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, Carrboro, N.C., burrito joint Armadillo Grill hosted an old-time music jam. That night, Andrew Marlin, a self-taught guitarist, found a complement and foil in Emily Frantz, a well-studied fiddler. The collaboration that started then quickly adopted the name Mandolin Orange, and the duo’s debut, Quiet Little Room, arrived in 2010. Third album, the magnificent This Side Of Jordan (Yep Roc), Mandolin Orange surges with a full band’s depth without sacrificing any of the front-porch closeness or weary sincerity of previous efforts. Mandolin Orange will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the duo.
Emily: As soon as I saw my first Marvel movie, I was hooked. (I think it was Iron Man.) I love how emotionally surface-level they are—they’re entertaining and imaginative but don’t have a lasting effect on my overall mood, which is why I can’t stand super depressing or emo movies. I can’t get into the Batman/Superman movies because they’re darker and slower. Iron Man, Thor and Hulk (with Edward Norton) are three of my not-so-guilty pleasures. They just make you feel so satisfied during and afterward, and you never have to worry about how they will end.
Video after the jump.
