Meeting up with Mandolin Orange

Photo by Alex Loops

Coming from North Carolina, this duo, consisting of Emily Franz and Andrew Marlin, are a country, folk and bluegrass band. They released their newest album, “Such Jubilee,” in May and we were lucky enough to sit down with them at Austin City Limits and talk to them about their music.

How are you guys liking ACL so far? 

Emily: “It’s pretty awesome. We love coming to Austin, and we were a little afraid if it was going to be as crazy as SXSW but it’s so much more manageable.”

Have you seen any other performances so far?

Andrew: “We’ve been waiting to see Sturgill Simpson for a long time and we finally got to catch his set. It did not disappoint at all.”

I saw him too, he didn’t disappoint at all. Can you guys tell me a little bit about your background in music?

Emily:  “I started doing classical violin when I was a young kid and my parents wouldn’t let me quit, [even when] I begged them to let me quit, which I’m glad they didn’t. They let me sort of switch over to Bluegrass instead of doing classical stuff, which I had a lot more fun with because it’s all learning by ear and learning songs you can play with other people. I never looked back when I switched out of the classical world, but I’m really glad I learned that way because I think it teaches you a great foundation.”

Andrew: “I kind of just bought a guitar when I was 14 and started writing songs on it. I went through a heavy metal phase, and then more hard rock, then I heard Tony Rice for the first time and realized then that I wanted to switch over and play a little bit softer, more melodic music. I still [wrote] a lot of songs.”

By the way, I love the band’s name, how did you two come up with the name Mandolin Orange?

Emily: “It’s basically a play on Mandarin Orange, but when we first started playing, Andrew had this little beater, a mandolin that was orange, and I think one day we just sort of thought of that and it stuck.”

Can you guys tell me about the process of making “Such Jubilee”?

Emily: “So last year, over the course of when most of the songs were written, was when we were touring a lot more heavily than we have been before. The songs were written when we were at home because that was when we had time to sit down and write, but they were definitely sort of reflecting on home and the things and the relationships that you miss when you’re out on the road and not around people.”

So what’s your favorite song off the album?

Andrew: The first song, “Old Ties and Companions.” It really sums up how we live life at home. Making friends that make music and then sometimes we have to leave them behind but it’s always that feeling of I-can’t-wait-to-get-home and see those guys and play some music with them; that kind of feeling.”

Emily:  “I think my favorite song on the record is “That Wrecking Ball.” It just has one of those melodies that kind of goes in around the whole time. It doesn’t really have separate parts. Something about [the song] just hooks into my brain and I really like playing it live, so it’s become one of my favorites.”

This is for a college newspaper, so I was wondering if you two went to college, and if so, what was your experience like?

Emily: “I went to UNC Chapel Hill, which is a big public university. I didn’t study music at UNC, I studied global health. Andrew and I met while I was still in college, and he wasn’t in school. He had just moved to town to play music. I had an awesome time in college but I’ve had an even more awesome time after college.”

Andrew: “I went to two years at a community college in my hometown and then I got inspired to record in Chapel Hill. One day, I met this fella who had a studio there and he kind of convinced me then that, living in the town I was living in, I was not going to be able to do much with the music I was writing. So he convinced me to come up and stay on his couch for a while [and] I took him up on his offer. So one day I left class. I wouldn’t recommend someone to do [that], but so far it’s been a good decision.”

How would you say your music has evolved?

Emily: “I think it’s gone through a lot of phases. When I think of evolution, I think of it trying to get to a certain point, trying to get better and I just feel like it’s always changing.  We’re always getting better at playing with each other because that’s what we’re always doing. But yeah, we kind of go through different phases of whatever we’re listening to or what kinds of sounds we want to be making. The nice thing about just having the two of us is that we feel like we can have a lot of freedom there; to go in one direction or another or we can have a band if we want but we don’t have to. It’s nice to feel like it’s malleable.”

Andrew: “Yeah, freedom being the key word because when we first started to write together, the parts were a little more constructed. When each of us were kind of following a certain mold with each song, now I feel like the arrangements and the progressions are all kind of open for interpretation, which we like to play with at each show. All the solo section or lead sections are completely open for us to do whatever we want to. I think that’s kind of been the biggest change. If I could put my finger on one thing, it’s instead of sticking to a rudimentary thing, we’re actually just kind of floating within the song.”

And lastly, what’s coming up for the band?

Emily: “We had a really busy year touring with the new record coming out, and the main thing we have left on the horizon for this year is our first headlining tour in Europe this November. We’re really excited about that and then we can sort of retire for the year.”

You can listen to Mandolin Orange’s new album “Such Jubilee” on iTunes, Amazon music and Spotify. Make sure to also follow them on Facebook and Twitter, @Mandolin_Orange.