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.
Andrew: Emily and I acquired one of these $50-ish microphones from a friend right at our start and it’s been an important member of Mandolin Orange for four years now. We even used it on some tracks for Quiet Little Room: ”Wee Bird” and “Night Owl.” For being so cheap, it has made believers out of many skeptical sound men.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaPQtZwPmhY
