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: Andrew and I used to live in a house that was right across the street from our stellar local farmers market. One Saturday morning, we stumbled upon a lady selling “New Orleans style iced coffee,” which was basically concentrated coffee with chicory root and we fell into an obsession. Finally I tracked down Cafe Du Monde so we could drink that goodness everyday. It’s especially satisfying in the summer—iced with honey and whole milk.
Video after the jump.
