A grassroots success story driven by poignant songwriting
Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz (contributed photo)
Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts will present an evening of redefined American roots music by the North Carolina duo Watchhouse on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. The show in Storrs kicks off their new coast-to-coast Rituals Tour, and will feature material from their new studio album, also called "Rituals," as well as from the band's deep catalog.
Watchhouse is the duo of Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz. Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, they are a grassroots success story that's been driven by Marlin's poignant songwriting. With sold-out shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, and hundreds of millions of streams, they've earned a reputation for creating music that "redefines roots music for a younger generation," according to the Washington Post. The duo are two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life.
The new studio album, "Rituals," is due out May 30, 2025, via Tiptoe Tiger Music / Thirty Tigers. The collection marks the band's first release of all new, original songs since their 2021 self-titled album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and earned praise from Rolling Stone("pristine acoustic picking collides with hazy, dream-like psychedelia") Mojo, NPR Music, American Songwriter, and more.
Rituals, co-produced with Ryan Gustafson (The Dead Tongues), explores the boundaries between identity and awareness, and how we often confuse patterns with truths. The 11-song collection muses on the endless nature of evolution, asking questions like: how can we have a positive relationship with change? How can we meet our ends gracefully? "Is the world on fire or at home in the sun?"
Formerly known as Mandolin Orange, Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz reintroduced themselves as Watchhouse on their 2021 self-titled, self-produced recording highlighted by masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life. Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar), have sold out iconic venues (Red Rocks, Ryman Auditorium) and attract hundreds of millions of streams.
Emily Frantz discussed the new direction for Watchhouse with WHUS on the Good Music show, (Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Listen to the conversation here:
