4 to Watch: Carolina Chocolate Drops
Hometown: Durham, N.C.
Members: [l-r]: Rhiannon Giddens (banjo, fiddle), Dom flemons (guitar, jug, harmonica, banjo), Joe Thompson (mentor), Justin Robinson (fiddle); (all sing)
Fun fact: The band recorded its rootsy debut, Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind, twice—once DIY-style and once with the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which aids impoverished Southern roots musicians (see p. 60).
Why they’re worth watching: Giddens, flemons and Robinson met at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, N.C., and they invoke a similar sense of community and purpose with every show they play. For fans of: Etta Baker, Ma Rainey, Merlefest
When twentysomethings Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson gather ’round the fireplace of fiddler Joe Thompson’s humble Mebane, N.C., abode, business is underway. Sure, the fiery foursome trades both story and song late into the night, but when Thursday becomes Friday and laughs turn to yawns, the sheer import of the task at hand—a musical changing of the guard—trumps any sense of recklessness the group might have felt otherwise.