Many local and national musicians come through the North Carolina Public Radio studios each year and 2014 is no exception. As radio reporters and hosts, we have the chance to book bands we love and ask them anything. Eric Hodge regularly does just that.
And so we asked Hodge, of all the interviews you conducted this year, which five should we not miss? Here are his choices, in no particular order:
Sylvan Esso: Durham-based duo Sylvan Esso's latest album is full of catchy tracks, ripe for getting stuck in your head.
Bob Mould: Mould's music is like a dark cloud of words steeped in a sunshine of melody.
Mandolin Orange: The music of Mandolin Orange is pure and beautiful.
The Wood Brothers: They’ve been compared to The Avett Brothers, but they have more jazz and blues influences.
John Howie, Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff: "The music that's played on radio today that's called country music, the pop country stuff like Blake Shelton and all those guys, is just kind of the farthest thing from anything that I'm interested in."
Bonus:
It's hard to whittle down to just five favorites! Eric also recommends Mark Eitzel. He's known for melancholy tunes and witty lyrics.
"The melancholy is sort of the truth of the world, and the humor is how you get through it... Things are always survivable if you can laugh about them," says Eitzel. Listen here.
And, OK, just one more: the son of country legend Bobby Bare, Bobby Bare, Jr. talks about his latest album. "It's more a 'getting dumped' record than it is a breakup record, Bare Jr. says. Listen here.
Many of Eric Hodge's music interviews are collected here.