Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro’s homegrown music venue with five decades of history behind it – has seen the same sort of struggles being experienced by public-facing businesses across the country due to COVID-19. Starting on July 3, however, Cat’s Cradle is doing something about it.
With an album called “Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat’s Cradle” set to release on July 31 – with pre-orders receiving five additional, new tracks each week starting on July 3 – Cat’s Cradle is looking to make a comeback while covering rent and overhead costs. The album features an impressive lineup with local roots: Chatham County Line, Hiss Golden Messenger, Iron and Wine, Mandolin Orange, Steep Canyon Rangers, Superchunk, Tift Merritt and The Mountain Goats — just to name a few.
“I grew up making the journey to the Cradle from Greensboro to see shows, not understanding the decades of care in booking that made it a place bands wanted to play,” said Libby Rondenbough, of Mipso, in a release. “Now that I travel around to venues all over, I’ve learned most places don’t have a Cat’s Cradle. Without it, the Triangle is a step closer to being just anywhere, and living somewhere that’s somewhere is worth fighting to keep”.
According to a release from Cat’s Cradle, the album will be released exclusively on Bandcamp, and all proceeds will benefit the Cat’s Cradle “to ensure it can restore its rightful place for generations to come.”
“Learning about this effort to assist the Cradle, has reinforced another wonderful thing that we really already knew,” said Frank Heath, of Cat’s Cradle, in a press release. “Namely, that so many of the Triangle’s great artists & musicians are also amazing and caring people, who value and want to help protect Cat’s Cradle, and who also genuinely care about all of the other artists and the entire music community. This alone is huge, and it helps me to believe that more of us will come through this pandemic with fewer permanent scars.”
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So sorry to hear of the situation Cat’s Cradle is in. Cat’s Cradle was a jumping spot when I was a teenager along with He’s Not Here. I loved both of these iconic places