by: Shea Carver

Chatham County Line
with Johnny Irion, Zeke Hutchins
and Jay Brown
Soapbox, upstairs
255 N. Front Street
December 18th; 9pm

String after string, Chatham County Line (CCL) make folk music accessible—not that the genre isn’t already, especially in North Carolina. But these Tarheel boys stay tried and true to sounds that bask in rolling hills and vast plains, sunrises above the Atlantic and sunsets behind the Rockies. Their music travels far and wide, tipping its hat to bluegrass and every swiftly played riff that makes up its calling.

Finding Americana came rather naturally to Dave Wilson, whose chief songwriting skills can only be matched by one hefty beard, and impeccable acoustic guitar- and harp-playing. Made up of banjo-picker Chandler Holt, upright bassist Greg Readling and multi-instrumentalist John Teer, CCL has a mash of sound, including traditional acoustic soul punctuated by urban lyricism, and filled out by an alt-rock vibration that keeps them drawing in new audiences, album upon album. Wilson credits the “banjo playing of Jerry Garcia, the songs of Dave Nelson and the voice of Gram Parsons” as part of the impetus to continue polishing the music’s worn veneer.

After four albums, many worldwide tours, including much success in Europe, the men have come back to their roots, North Carolina, to record their fifth studio record. “We’re working on the follow up to IV, which was well-received throughout the globe,” Wilson e-mailed to encore last week. “The record is not titled yet but will be out on Yep Roc Records sometime before the summer heat.”

Comparatively, the release is “an acoustic explosion from deep within the heart of CCL.” According to Wilson, the band is enveloping themselves once again in original tracks, ones that will “touch [their] oldest and newest fans,” in the vein of IV’s “Chip of a Star” and “Country Boy/City Boy.” “We’ve got a great studio in Asheville,” he said, “with a stellar upright piano that Greg is giving a work out as I type.”

Sharing a combined love for playing rhythms and cadences that pull the heartstrings and puncture the political and societal mire of our land, a la Alabama’s days-of-yore racial uproar (“Birmingham Jail,” IV), new songs continue to “keep things interesting and our hands moving,” Wilson noted. Yet, staying on the move has been far from hard in ‘09, as the band recorded an album with Norwegian artist Jona Fjeld, which went Gold in Fjeld’s homeland.

“We were also featured on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ in the UK,” Wilson noted, “alongside acts like Nick Cave, Bon Iver and The Raconteurs. We played a lot of shows and drank a lot of beer.”

The cheers that flowed continue bringing inspiration to CCL as they cradle their strings and spread the old-timey music vibe throughout the globe. “The instruments we play are really beautiful, historic and legendary,” Wilson wrote. “It is an honor to be able to travel, spreading the sound, as well as add to the body of folk music in the world.”

Their escapades have lead them down many a road, encountering the best musicians and writers along the way. Among them is folk troubadour Johnny Irion (husband to Sarah Lee Gurthrie—yes, of Woody and Arlo lineage), whose 2007 album Extempore showcases soulful, steadfast balladry and musical melodies rife with alluring layers of arrangement. Irion will be joining CCL for their annual Holiday Road Tour, which comes to Wilmington’s Soapbox this week.

“We do this show every year in our hometown,” Wilson said, speaking of Raleigh, NC. “[We do a] set of CCL tunes and then a set of holiday favorites, covers, and more CCL tunes played on loud electric instruments. It is really an excuse to show off Greg Readling behind the piano and pedal steel, as well as hang out with some old friends. At this point we’ve been on the road so long, we have a lot of different hometowns, so here we are on the road.”

Also on the bill will be Zeke Hutchins and Jay Brown. “The esteemed Zeke Hutchins, who has been the drummer in our lives for years, was in a band by the name of ‘Queen Sarah Saturday’ with Johnny in their formative days,” Wilson further explained. “He has always been someone who we pass on the highway as we spread our songs across the land. Sometimes we’re in the same town for a night and get to share a tune. This tour is a good way to make sure we’re in the same town for a few nights.”

The tour will feature two sets, an acoustic and electric version sure to titillate all ears willing to travel down the long, dusty road with the band. Jay Brown and Zeke Hutchins will play bass and drums during the electric set, and Irion will be the emcee and most likely sit in for a few ditties. Show starts at 9pm, Friday, December 18th, and tickets are $10 before or $12 the day of.