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Watchhouse, the North Carolina based duo of Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz, have announced a new studio album Rituals, due out May 30, 2025 via Tiptoe Tiger Music / Thirty Tigers. The collection marks the band’s first release of all new, original songs since their 2021 self-titled album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and earned praise from Rolling Stone (“pristine acoustic picking collides with hazy, dream-like psychedelia”) Mojo, NPR Music, American Songwriter and more. Rituals, co-produced with Ryan Gustafson (The Dead Tongues) , explores the boundaries between identity and awareness, and how we often confuse patterns with truths. The 11-song collection muses on the endless nature of evolution, asking questions like: how can we have a positive relationship with change? How can we meet our ends gracefully? “Is the world on fire or at home in the sun?” “All Around You,” the first track released from the album, features layered guitars, a steady beat and floating vocal harmonies. The song wrestles with how we often view home as a destination, just as we look back longing for the past. It ultimately arrives at an understanding that wherever we are, we are already home, emphasizing that trusting in our own awareness allows us to face the future with the wisdom we’ve acquired. Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, Watchhouse is a grassroots success story that’s been driven by Marlin’s poignant songwriting. With sold-out shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, and hundreds of millions of streams, they’ve earned a reputation for creating music that “redefines roots music for a younger generation” (Washington Post) . The duo – now with a family of their own – are two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life. The forthcoming album is no exception. Two Runner is songwriter Paige Anderson and fiddler Emilie Rose from the hills of Northern California. The folk duo emits a ray of unprocessed realness through their well-crafted songs and instrumental skills. Both growing up in a rural mountain town, best friends Paige Anderson and Emilie Rose learned folk music and performance from a young age, and now tour nationally as Two Runner. Through the mediums of clawhammer banjo, vocal harmonies, oldtime fiddle, and flatpicking guitar, Two Runner has a sound that is strongly rooted in American folk music combined with Paige’s wistful songwriting. Two Runner self-released their debut album, Modern Cowboy, in the spring of 2023 and have shared the stage with Sierra Ferrell, Watchhouse, Jesse Daniel, Nick Shoulders, Charlie Parr and many more. Songwriter Paige Anderson grew up touring in her family bluegrass band, Anderson Family Bluegrass, starting at the age of 9. The family of six traveled for about 12 years as Anderson Family Bluegrass and later the sibling band, The Fearless Kin. Paige wrote her first song with Chuck Ragan at 15, which kickstarted her love for songwriting. Transitioning into diverse musical roles, including a stint as bassist for Family of the Year in 2018, Paige has continually evolved her craft, charting new artistic directions for herself and Two Runner. Fiddler Emilie Rose was raised on Celtic fiddle and fiddle camps starting at the age of 9. In her early years, she led Celtic trio, The String Sisters, who played together for 10 years in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Emilie then went on to study at Berklee College of Music and was mentored by the greats such as Bruce Molsky, Natalie Haas, and Darol Anger, where she graduated in 2020. She moved back to Northern California and later in the year met Paige Anderson for the first time, as neighbors and joined Two Runner. Together, the duo has been touring for over 2 years solidly, forging their sound and path through festivals and venues, winding highways and friendship. It’s undeniable that Two Runner brings a rich mix to the folk music world, with their harmonies, banjo pickin’, and dirt kickin’ duo.
