Story via David Menconi, Down on Copperline, Orange County Arts Commission
When the Grammy Awards happen in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024, Andrew Marlin will be up for one. But Marlin’s first-ever Grammy nomination isn’t for Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), the popular duo he leads with his fiddler wife Emily Frantz.
Credit: Shervin Lainez
Marlin is nominated for a Grammy as part of Mighty Poplar, the bluegrass supergroup that also features members of Punch Brothers, Leftover Salmon and Billy Strings’ band. While these are some of the busiest musicians in the world, the pandemic gave them enough time off the road to make 2023’s “Mighty Poplar.” It’s one of the Grammy nominees for best bluegrass album, alongside Strings, Willie Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush and Michael Cleveland.
“It’s a huge honor, especially because of the people we’re nominated with,” says Marlin. “It’s something I never thought would happen. When I was super-young and we’d all watch TV in the same room together, we would watch the Grammys. I’d love to go see it in-person someday. Maybe if I can drum up another one and it’s during a time when we’re off the road. But for now, we’ll take any excuse to stay home.”
Credit: Shore Fire Media
At the moment, Marlin and Frantz are indeed in the mode of pausing to catch their breath this spring following a busy couple of years on the road. About the only recent live appearances Marlin has made lately is sitting in with shows by local friends like Big Fat Gap. But even while spending most of their time at home with their 5-year-old daughter Ruby, they’re busy making plans behind the scenes.
Next up will be a mid-February tour with Mighty Poplar, with whom Marlin hopes to make another album eventually – which is hard to schedule, now that everybody is back on the road with their own bands again. Tours and records for other projects, including Watchhouse, are also in the works.
“We’re kind of always working on stuff,” says Marlin. “I’ve got a few solo instrumental albums of my own that I need to figure out what to do with, and we’re also getting ready to go into the studio for another Watchhouse album. Dates are booked, the general plan mapped out and we’ll see how it comes together. I’ll probably wait until we get something in hand before I say too much about it, but the things we’re aiming for with it are exciting. Not exactly groundbreaking, but treading on thinner ice than we’ve ever tried before. Fifteen years in, we’ve got to keep it interesting for us.”
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Watchhouse was just starting out as Mandolin Orange, a quiet duo playing modest shows in small Chapel Hill venues. But 2024 will mark Frantz and Marlin’s 15th year together as a band, and their trajectory has been steadily upward.
Credit: Shervin Lainez
From humble origins, they’ve grown into one of the biggest live draws on the Americana circuit. Back when they were still Mandolin Orange, they cracked the Billboard 200 album-sales chart with their sixth album, 2019’s “Tides of a Teardrop.” They’ve headlined prestigious venues including “Austin City Limits” (where they recorded the recently released “Live at the Moody Theater,” out now on Yep Roc Records) and Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium.
“Fifteen years and it’s gone by in the blink of an eye,” says Marlin. “Back then I couldn’t have imagined where we’d wind up. But I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out, if you know what I mean. I would do it again.”
(story + images via Orange County Arts Commission)
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