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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange

There’s a song called “The Dash” that Andrew Marlin wrote way back when he was first sticking his toe in the water of folk music. It’s a few simple chords, a few symbol-laden verses, and a refrain that cuts.

Mandolin Orange © 2010 Gabriel Nelson Photography

There’s a song called “The Dash” that Andrew Marlin wrote way back when he was first sticking his toe in the water of folk music.  It’s a few simple chords, a few symbol-laden verses, and a refrain that cuts.  “If you aim to throw bullets, shoot me fast, my love, not slow,” he sings.  It’s a cruel to be kind sentiment, in a song about the brevity of life and love.  When Marlin met Emily Frantz, however, instead of facing down a girl with a metaphorical gun, he found one with a guitar, a fiddle and a knack for harmony.

Since that chance meeting, Marlin and Frantz have honed their picking and playing skills together, performing out as Mandolin Orange.  Pairing some combination of guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, the two craft tempered, stripped-down country duets that drift somewhere in the ether between Gillian Welch and Nickel Creek.  Their music blends contemporary influences with the vibe of old-time, imbuing vintage aesthetics with shrewd songwriting.  It’s a magnetic combination, and you can hear it live as this Saturday, May 1st, when the duo celebrates the release of their newest record Quiet Little Room at the Local 506 along with Ryan Gustafson and Big Fat Gap.

Now just a few hard hitting questions for the kids in the quiet room:

1. If your band were a vegetable, what would it be?

ANDREW: Is an orange a vegetable?
EMILY: A sweet potato. Because it’s my favorite NC veggie and it happens to be orange.

2. When was the moment you realized there was something to this musical partnership that needed to be shared?

ANDREW: From the very start it seemed to just make sense. Emily and I fulfill very different roles that fit so easily together—at first it felt more like the musical partnership was sharing itself with us.
EMILY: Immediately. The first week we knew each other we played non-stop. We bailed on all our commitments (class, work) day after day—we just couldn’t tear ourselves away.

3. Describe your writing process.

ANDREW: Initially, an idea just kind of appears during a random shot at writing. Usually the overall concept of a tune isn’t clear to me until I’m finished with it. When the rough version is done, we arrange it together.
EMILY: The writing process starts with Andrew, and mostly stays there. Over the past year, I’ve started offering my opinion and enthusiasm for different lines or melodies as he writes. I aim for harmony parts that compliment the style or emotion of the tune, and do the same with my fiddle parts. Each song goes through all kinds of instrumental arrangements (between 2 guitars, fiddle and mandolin) since we can only choose the most fitting pair for a given song.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?

ANDREW: A lot of my songwriting influences comes from the interactions and conversations I have everyday. As far as musical influences, The Books have a very spatial sound compared to us but they’ve long been one of my favorite groups.
EMILY: I have a hard time differentiating between my influences and the people I just listen to. For example, My Morning Jacket is one of my favorites, especially in the car. When creating my own music, I obviously don’t go for that exact sound, but I’d guess it’s in there somewhere.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
ANDREW: A cowboy. I’m no horseman but I get to sing and play folk music… close enough.
EMILY: Can’t remember. I think it had to do with being the Little Mermaid and being able to sing underwater and swim at the same time. The singing part is working out so far!

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Check back next week to see who else will take up the challenge of facing down the five. Be sure to join Mandolin Orange this Saturday night at the Local 506 (or sometime soon on their upcoming tour) and, by all means, give Andrew and Emily a high five when you see them!