'Music on the Porch' music series begins

With a strum and a pick, Southern culture spilled off the porch and out into the lawn Thursday night.

Local musicians Ryan Gustafson, Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin kicked off the Center for the Study of the American South’s Music on the Porch series at the Love House and Hutchins Forum, sharing their musical heritage in song and word.

“The South has had an overwhelming influence on music as a whole — no matter the genre,” said Lisa Beavers, events manager for the center.

Frantz and Marlin make up the Carrboro-based duo Mandolin Orange, and Gustafson, of Durham, is usually a solo act. But for this concert, the three came together with a common musical message.

The show alternated between sets of songs and discussion questions moderated by Grayson Currin, music editor for “Independent Weekly.”

Jason Crockett, Naomi Kato and Aleena Bhasin made the journey from nursing school at Duke to see the show.

“We’re really getting into the whole bluegrass thing,” said Bhasin, who originally comes from New York.

The musicians traded roles and song duties. Gustafson played electric guitar, Marlin played both acoustic guitar and mandolin, and Frantz switched between acoustic guitar, electric guitar and fiddle. All three musicians provided vocals.

Each musician came to Southern music in a different way, they said.

Gustafson grew up in Northampton, Mass., where he was first exposed to music in his church.

“Being in the church helped me transition to the blue-collar type songs I play now,” he said.

Having heard good things about Chapel Hill’s music scene, Gustafson moved south and started playing in local clubs.

In Warrenton, N.C., Marlin came to love music through his church as well.

“The people singing in my church were making a joyful noise,” he said. “That’s what matters.”

Marlin met Frantz in Chapel Hill at an informal jam session of Chapel Hill musicians, and the two formed Mandolin Orange.

Gustafson asked the duo to play at his CD release show at Local 506, and the three have been playing together since.

“I like playing music with the people I like,” Gustafson said. “It definitely helps to be friends.”

The Music on the Porch Series, which continues through the fall and spring, hopes to encourage this kind of collaboration.

“It means to bring talented, knowledgeable and eclectic musicians together and engage in discussion,” Beavers said.

In true Southern musical tradition, some of Mandolin Orange’s songs contain dark elements, Marlin said.

“My art teacher told me once that you have to pay attention to the negative space in order to appreciate the positive space,” he said.

Contact the Arts Editor

artsdesk@unc.edu.