North Carolina has produced its share of celebrated folk musicians, especially from the western Appalachian region. Much of what we know as bluegrass today percolated in those hills, just as it did in Bill Monroe’s Kentucky.
The newest North Carolina sensation is Mipso, a group of four young string musicians from along the I-40 corridor who met in Chapel Hill and started a band in 2010. Their sound draws heavily from the mountain traditions, while remaining modern enough to attract a sizable audience of folks their age.
With a new album, Old Time Reverie, due in October, the band has released a music video to set the stage. It’s for the song, Father’s House, written by Mipso guitarist Joseph Terrell. The video was shot live at Overdub Lane Studio in Durham by Caleb Childers of Malachi Films. John Plymale handled the audio.
In addition to Terrell, Mipso is Jacob Sharp on mandolin, Wood Robinson on bass, and Libby Rodenbough on fiddle.
Sharp shared a few words about their unique band name, which is really as odd as you might think.
“We get asked a lot where our name comes from. Mipso. It sounds made up to a lot of people, I guess. You know initially it was Mipso Trio – before we added Libby as a full time member – but we transitioned to just Mipso a few years back. Anyway, it’s actually the name of this Japanese refrigerator company from the 1950’s that we were all obsessed with in college. Just classic fridge design. Sleek and sexy. And we hear it kept your stuff cold.”
Look for Old Time Reverie on October 2.
