Mandolin Orange

The wonder of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz and the music they create as Mandolin Orange is the beauty and ease with which they come together vocally and musically. The songs are haunting in their simplicity – a quality that instantly connects with audiences. Hear an interview with the duo and see performances recorded at the Pond House on a snowy day in Saranac Lake, New York.

In 2011, around the release of Mandolin Orange’s acclaimed ‘Haste Make/Hard Hearted Stranger,’ Andrew Marlin had a near fatal accident. “It was scary,” Emily Frantz, the other half of the North Carolinian duo says, “But ultimately it brought us together during a time when we needed a nudge in that direction.” ‘This Side Of Jordan’ is the story of that healing process, with tales of love and loss, told honest and bare and drenched deep in the traditional music of Southern Appalachia. Since meeting at a local jam in Chapel Hill in 2009, Marlin and Franz have intertwined gospel, folk, and bluegrass, building Mandolin Orange’s modest aesthetic with pure and calming sounds.