CAMPFIRE CARAVAN: MIPSO + The Brothers Comatose + The Lil Smokies

Overview

Chapel Hill’s indie Americana quartet Mipso – Jacob Sharp (mandolin, vocals), Wood Robinson (bass, vocals), Joseph Terrell (guitar, vocals), and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle, vocals) – is influenced by the contradiction of its progressive home and the surrounding rural southern landscapes. Currently celebrating the release of its fourth album, Coming Down the Mountain (April 7, 2017), Mipso ventures further than ever from its string-band pedigree to discover a broader Americana where classic folk-rock and modern alt-country sounds mingle easily with Appalachian tradition. Adding pedal steel, drums, banjo, and keyboards to the intimate four-part harmonies and powerful acoustic meld, Mipso’s music is lush and forward moving, with lyrics that sear and salve in turn. Hailed as “hewing surprisingly close to gospel and folk while still sounding modern and secular” (Acoustic Guitar) and recently recognized by Rolling Stone as a favorite 2016 festival performance, Mipso brings a distinctly unique sound – full of wistful beauty, hopeful undercurrents, and panoramic soundscapes.

Mipso’s third album release, Old Time Reverie (2015), shot up the Billboard charts, landing at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and in the Top 25 of the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. The album was named among the Best Records of the Year by The Guardian for the band’s “aptitude for stunning harmonies” and for its “lush and moving songs.” Mipso’s earlier albums were long, long, gone (2012) and Dark Holler Pop (2013).