The Blue Ridge Music Center presents Chatham Rabbits live in concert at its outdoor amphitheater on the Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 213) just south of Galax, Va., just north of Mount Airy, N.C. and just east of Sparta, N.C.
There is something warm and instantly familiar about roots duo Chatham Rabbits. Partners in music and life, Austin and Sarah McCombie blend their personal histories through deft songwriting and a history that comes from building a life together. They are passionate about bringing new songs into the world, making sure you leave their concerts feeling better than when you arrived, cultivating community, their home in North Carolina, and also, drinking Cookout milkshakes, reading David Sedaris, fly fishing, riding horses, hunting arrowheads and having deep convos.
The duo has released three albums: All I Want from You (2019), The Yoke is Easy, The Burden is Full (2020), If You See Me Riding By (2022) that nod to the old-time roots of their college string band pastime, but with their new release Be Real with Me (2025)they have grown up.
Steeped in the regional traditions of their North Carolina home, Chatham Rabbits’ musical pursuits represent a new age of roots music. “We’ve never been a bluegrass band, but being from North Carolina we cannot ignore the regional influences all around us. We sampled organic tones and manipulated them into synth pads and percussive elements on this record. It feels like a natural progression because the foundational components of our music are still there, we’ve just added to it,” says Austin.
