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Folk/Americana Singer-Songwriters ‘Mandolin Orange’ to Perform in Lenoir on Nov. 7

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Madolin Orange

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s J.E. Broyhill Civic Center will kick off its 2015-2016 Showcase of Stars season with North Carolina bluegrass duo Mandolin Orange on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The road has been good to Mandolin Orange since the 2013 release of their critically acclaimed album ‘This Side of Jordan.’ NPR called the album “effortless and beautiful,” naming it one of the year’s best folk/Americana releases. American Songwriter said it was “honest music, shot through with coed harmonies, sweeping fiddle, mandolin, and acoustic guitar.” It’s no surprise the duo’s newest release, “Such Jubilee,” echoes similar praise for its simple, yet strikingly beautiful concoction of bluegrass, folk and Americana.

After the breakout critical success of Mandolin Orange’s Yep Roc debut, ‘This Side of Jordan,’ you’d expect the relentless onslaught of touring that accompanied it to seep into the writing of the North Carolina duo’s follow-up. You’d expect the sound to reflect long days on the road, long nights onstage, unfamiliar cities, countless miles.  You’d expect the classic “road record.” But you’d be wrong.

“All of these songs are definitely a product of being on the road,” says multi- instrumentalist/singer Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange’s gorgeous new album, ‘Such Jubilee,’ “but they’re not about the road.”

“They’re about home,” explains songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/singer Andrew Marlin. “Not because we were missing it, but because when you’re gone so much, you start realizing what you have and what’s waiting for you. You realize there’s this place to come back to at the end of the journey, and that’s where a lot of these songs come from.”

Marlin and Frantz recorded the 10 original songs live, sitting face to face at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, N.C. This setup captured the undeniable chemistry of their live performances. All ten songs were written by Marlin and address a range of topics, from finding comfort in relationships on the harmony-filled “Little Worlds,” to society’s rejection of gun reform in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting on “Blue Ruin,” to a ghostly adaptation of Virginia folklore on the elegiac “Jump Mountain Blues.”

Mandolin Orange has shared the stage with Rosanne Cash, Willie Watson, and The Wood Brothers. Don’t miss this enchanting evening of heartfelt lyrics, shimmering harmonies and acoustic instrumentation with Mandolin Orange on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. Tickets for the show are $21.50 for adults and $12 for students and children.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.broyhillcenter.com or call the Civic Center Box Office at 828-726-2407.