Magic Tuber Stringband at Clatter

Experimental old-time music, featuring fiddle, upright bass, acoustic guitars (etc).

The instrumental band, Magic Tuber Stringband, from North Carolina, has stopped by here before. We were floored. We hoped very much we'd be able to have them back, and now we can, and you should come. We have an interest in oldtime music here, an interest in tradition and how it speaks to its own time. You'll judge for yourself, but I think what we have in MTS is a tradition staying alive: retaining certain forms, and interpreting them honestly in light of their present context. The music is (mostly) beautiful, very smart, and the musicians are just nice as can be. The following is from their bio:

"Magic Tuber Stringband, hailing from North Carolina, probes the undercurrents of the landscapes around them. Highly skilled players and writers, the trio are leaders within the burgeoning avant composition world utilizing folk instrumentation. Their music appears to weave in and out of the fabric of their surroundings, reflecting their time spent living across the Southeast and studying its regional folk traditions and natural histories. Having performed recently at Big Ears, Hopscotch, Sound & Gravity (and many other places along the way) the group’s music resonates well beyond their regional roots. Their newest record, Heavy Water, will be out May 22 on the venerable Thrill Jockey Records. The ensemble continues to stretch the parameters of acoustic instrumental expression with masterful flourishes of dense, textural arrangements, subtle minimalist gestures and deft improvisation."