The Chatham Arts Council is investing in artists through our Meet This Artist series, introducing you to 12 Chatham County artists each year in a big way. The fine folks at Hobbs Architects in downtown Pittsboro are powering our Meet This Artist series this year. Architecture is art, and the Hobbs crew values art in our community.
This month’s feature is written by guest Meet This Artist writer Whitney Greer.
Take a look. Meet your very inspiring neighbors. Meet This Artist.
Listening to the Chatham Rabbits is like dropping into a harmonious timeless flow that transports you to the past and the future at the same time. That may seem mind trippy to those who don’t follow North Carolina’s most recognized “roots” music duo, or their style of music –a fusion of bluegrass and folk past with evocative sounds and stories of the present – but for their many followers, Chatham Rabbits’ songs resonate deeply enough to be selected for life celebrations like weddings and the passing of a loved one.
Featured artists for Big Night In for the Arts on Thursday, March 9, audiences will be treated to seeing Chatham Rabbits play a fan favorite in a beloved Chatham location. We caught up to Sarah and Austin on day two of their latest tour. (See locations here.)
How would you categorize the types of stories your music tells?
That’s a great question. We’re currently making a set list thematically, based on family stories and interactions with family members. Then there’s a category of Southern lore, histories from the south like Bugle Boy, Mr. Davis, and Abigail. We have a category of self-reflective songs. We’re trying to write more about our actual lives as millennials, as a 30-year-old living today instead of a horse-back librarian in the 30s.
What journey do you like to take a listening audience on?
I really love to introduce people to Austin and myself as people outside of who we are on stage. To tell them about tour life, living in rural NC, and life as a married couple. We create a picture of where we’re coming from. When we played in Boston, it was a good example of that. People in Boston took the train to see us, a place where they have a Starbucks on every corner. We live on family land our father grew tobacco on. We like to
bring songs to the forefront that give people a glimpse into life at home.
“The good things outweigh the bad,” is a motto for us and one we hope is true for our audience members. Our audiences are so diverse – in political beliefs and age — and sometimes Chatham Rabbits is the only unifying thing in their day. We get to be that two-hour chunk of time when people from different backgrounds and beliefs come together.
We like to talk to the audience after. We can tell when that unifying thing is happening. [The audience] takes in air, a gasp, or a sigh after a song. Laughter is also a good indication, or clapping together. That happened in Boston. People get together because of our shows. Some fans came with friends from Winston-Salem they’d met at a show. They get pre-show drinks or get together before the show. We can see on their Instagram that they’re meeting and making plans because of us.
What have you heard about your music that’s surprised and pleased you?
Austin and I are humbled and honored that people use our songs for weddings, graduation video slideshows, funerals. It’s such a surprise and delight to hear that or see it on social media. It’s a timestamp for their life we didn’t expect, and it’s really cool.
What is your creation process?
In a lot of ways, we write separately. Individually we’ll have an idea, make a voice memo, work on it a while, and then bring it to the other person who helps us bring it to the finish line.
We debut songs way before they’re ready [so we can] hear from fans to see if this is a song they can see themselves connecting to.
If nobody mentioned [the song] at the merch table, it’s no longer part of our set. But others, even if barely ready, we’ll try out. We played one last night, and you could tell people responded to it. We’re willing to be vulnerable or take a risk to debut songs that other performers might not think are ready for the stage.
You obviously have a collaborative partnership. How did that come about and what did you learn along the way?
We realized pretty early on in our relationship and knowing each other – when we met in college – that we were both dabbling in writing music, he in an electronic band and I’d left an old-time group. We knew early on we were interested in it as a hobby. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve been together longer, and we’ve been doing this for a living. Sometimes you want to write about a frustration with family dynamics or a complex situation and bring the song to the table. Sometimes we’re bringing something to the table where we have to ask, “Please don’t be my husband or musical partner; be my bandmate.” That’s been a challenge.
Sometimes it doesn’t work. It’s almost harder to bring songs to the table with somebody that knows you so well. They can tell you’re not being real. You can slide a little easier with people who don’t know you.
I read your story started at 18-years of age when you were invited to sing with the South Carolina Broadcasters at a BBQ. That seems to have been a pivotal moment. How would you describe it and what advice would you give people who want to find their creative voice based on your own experience?
It is so important to not worry about looking awkward or uncool. Ask questions. Don’t 
ask for permission; beg forgiveness. Sign up for open mics. If you’re barely squeaking by on the fiddle, go to a jam.
I (Sarah) pride myself on being a singer and songwriter, play fiddle proficiently. But even when you’re not an Avant Garde savant, you can still get in there with the jams, coffee house, and open mic performances. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I think it has served me well that I’m an extrovert. I don’t have a lot of stage fright, or [fear about] talking to people. Austin’s way more introverted by me and feels the stress or tension of being on stage than I do, but he would say the same. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
How would you describe your voices?
Austin and I are both fairly untrained people who sing how we feel we’re supposed to sing and what feels natural. I’m heavily influenced by Patty and Nanci Griffith, Brandi Carlile, and Tracy Chapman. Austin really likes Gregory Alan Isakov, a South African artist. He has a gorgeous tone to his voice that Austin has a way of tapping into. Being untrained vocalists, we’re singing what feels natural. What feels like home.
How did you find your voice?
My mom and grandmother and dad did a really good job taking us to community plays, to the farmer’s market in Saxapahaw, plays in Fearrington and to ClydeFEST. We were exposed to theater, to gospel church events, and Austin played a ton in church events.
When you define Roots music, what does it mean to you?
In the US, roots music is a reflection of music that’s been here for a long time. Within tiny little Chatham Rabbits, we’ve been influenced by tunes in Ireland, Scotland, and old-time bluegrass. Fiddles come from that part of the world. The banjo is a West African instrument. The South has a dark history of how the banjo came to be. I’m conscious of being a white, middle-class woman playing an instrument brought over during the 1600s during slavery.
What are the best and toughest parts of living a creative life?
The hardest part is balancing what feels authentic and where you are being led creatively – your muse, your inspiration – against trying to make a living and do things to simply pay the bills so you can continue doing the inspirational stuff. We’ve been super blessed that we’ve built fans who encourage us to do the fun creative stuff. But it’s tough to balance those two things.
Can you tell me a story about a time you found inspiration in an unexpected way?
I find inspiration at every show and from talking to fans. The one that comes to mind is how I met this woman, Miss Becky, who went to a stay-at-home show during Covid. She was touched by our music, and then she reached out a few weeks later, because her husband had passed away, and she asked if we could play at his funeral service. It was a hot July day. We were playing graveside. That funeral touched us. We wrote a song about the experience [called] Flies at Our Funeral.
What are you most excited about right now?
Being on the road, going to new cities, and playing new venues. We’re finally going to Wisconsin and Iowa. We like meeting folks and new songs we’re writing and performing.
What can we expect from Big Night In?
We performed a song at the Bynum Front Porch about how we were able to make the shift from the corporate world. The song is called Hinges. The Chatham Arts Council was part of that. They fostered support and offered grant opportunities.
You can hear the Chatham Rabbits play on Spotify, and check them out in Big Night In for the Arts on Thursday, March 9th at 7 p.m. via the WRAL broadcast, or at the in-person Triangle-wide watch party at The Mayton in Downtown Cary, NC.
You can also catch up with them on their current tour, or via Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
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