Emma Bishop and Ellary Smith of the Carolina Junebugs stopped by Live & Local last week, following the release of their debut full-length album “Sweet Enough.”

Follow the Carolina Junebugs on Instagram.

Bishop and Smith have teamed up with Booth Bassett to form the Junebugs, a bluegrass trio that first came together last year, when all three were students at UNC.

“We all met as part of the Carolina Bluegrass Band, which is an ensemble through the music department,” says Bishop. That band has made a significant contribution to the Triangle’s music scene; it’s also produced artists like Warner Vaughan and Bill Moore, among others.

As for the Junebugs’ origin: “There was a show on campus last year that a friend was putting together, and she said, ‘Do you have anybody you could pull together to play, like, tomorrow?'” Smith says with a laugh. “I knew Booth and I knew Emma, so I asked them both separately…

“(And) I just remember we finished playing that gig and walked to the car (saying) ‘you know, we should keep doing this. This was pretty fun.”

The trio initially called themselves Bassett and the Hounds, but quickly rebranded themselves as the Carolina Junebugs: Smith and Bishop were both born in June. Since then, they’ve quickly established themselves as major players in the Triangle’s bluegrass scene, debuting last year with the acclaimed EP “Down in the Valley” and reaching for new heights now with “Sweet Enough.”

Both releases blend beloved folk classics with spectacular new originals that stand proudly alongside the very best songs in the traditional American songbook.

Listen to “Sweet Enough” on YouTube.

Now that “Sweet Enough” is out, the Junebugs are celebrating with an album-release show this Wednesday, September 9, at Cat’s Cradle Back Room as part of their “Bluegrass in the Backroom” series. Bassett will be back in town for the show after a recent move to Denver, and Italian-American bluegrass prodigy Ettore Buzzini is also sharing the bill.

Click here to buy tickets to Wednesday’s show.

Emma Bishop and Ellary Smith stopped by Live & Local to discuss “Sweet Enough” and play four songs: “Sweet Enough,” “My Sweet Eliza,” “Gaston County Blues,” and “While He’s Loving.” Listen:

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