Q&A with Old Ceremony frontman Django Haskins on Cat's Cradle renovations

Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle is unassuming yet full of local music history. Touring bands seek it out, while local bands dream of the night they headline a Cradle show. Renovations on the venue began in early July and were completed in stages so that club owner Frank Heath would not have to shut down the venue. Veteran attendees of the venue will now find the entrance on the side and many of the indoor risers removed. The stage and green room were also upgraded. Tonight, Chapel Hill’s The Old Ceremony and The Tomahawks help break in the new changes with a free show. Old Ceremony frontman Django Haskins took time to talk to Assistant Diversions Editor Allison Hussey about what the venue means to him.

DIVERSIONS: How did The Old Ceremony get started?

DJANGO HASKINS: We started in 2004, it’s been about seven and a half years. I had moved down here in 2002 and played with a band called International Orange.
I had a bunch of songs that were kind of weird and didn’t quite fit with what my other band was doing. It was kind of a side thing to play these strange, orchestral kind of songs. That ended up being my full-time band.

DIVE: What was your experience like the first time you played Cat’s Cradle?

DH: I believe it was with friends of ours, Roman Candle, another band from around here. Most of them moved to Nashville. They had been around before we had started and had a really nice kind of supportive fan base. I remember the first time when we got up on the stage. We were opening up, it was packed and sweaty. It was a really amazing feeling.

DIVE: And when was that show?

DH: I believe it was 2005, or 2006, maybe.

DIVE: Was playing Cat’s Cradle for the first time significant for your band?

DH: It was. It was a goal of ours to play the Cradle and to headline the Cradle. I actually had one of my most memorable show experiences ever at the Cradle this year. I had a kidney stone. The band was setting up equipment, and I’d been injected with all these painkillers. I could barely move my eyes. We did the show, just because that’s how much I love the Cradle. I didn’t want to miss the show so badly that I still had the hospital arm band on.

DIVE: Why is Cat’s Cradle so important to local music?

DH: It’s been around for a really long time and it’s really well known all over the country. Touring bands know it’s a great place to play. Even if they’re only playing Nashville, New York, Atlanta, that kind of thing, they’ll still stop at the Cradle. They know it’s the epicenter of a great music area. It’s kind of symbolic, like the Statue of Liberty for the rock ‘n’ roll scene of the Triangle. The Cave and Local 506 are like Ellis Island. The Cradle is great also because it does all-ages shows. That makes a big difference.

DIVE: How did the venue get the reputation that it has?

DH: The Triangle has had a reputation for really being fertile for a long time thanks to a lot of bands that came out of here, and Merge and Mammoth Records. There were a lot of things that pointed to the fact that this area had an arts scene that’s not what you’d expect from the population. From my limited perspective it seems like Frank Heath has cultivated the kind of venue that can both support a local scene and cater to larger national acts. I think it’s a hard balancing act. Because of that, not only is it a stop for touring bands, it’s a goal for local bands. They mix in well together. If you look at the schedule, there’s always ten things I want to see.

DIVE: What comes next for The Old Ceremony?

DH: We just got back from our first European tour, so that was kind of our big event of the summer. We’re playing Hopscotch, and then we’re playing out at Shakori Hills, then we’ll start picking up a bit more with touring again. Right now, our violinist (Gabriel Pelli) is expecting kids. I say “kids,” because it’s twins. Literally, within the next 24 hours, he’s supposed to have them.