FEBRUARY 7TH at 7:30!
Celebrate the release of Chatham Rabbits debut album, “All I Want From You,” (Robust Records) recorded with Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange) and Libby Rodenbough (Mipso). This duo quit their day jobs to pursue their dream of making music. Join them on their journey with an unforgettable night at the CAMEO!
With palpable chemistry and warmth, Chatham Rabbits — Sarah Osborne McCombie (vocals, banjo) and Austin McCombie (vocals, guitar, fiddle) — fill each space they enter with brightness and sincerity. Their songs are stories flush with vivid imagery, contemplative metaphors, and evidence of their binding ties to the South. Hailing from Bynum, North Carolina, just like the original Chatham Rabbits string band of the early 20th century, this duo lights up any stage. After abandoning their corporate careers to take Chatham Rabbits full-time, Sarah and Austin now travel the country with their hound dog Ruby, showing their commitment to living life to the fullest and sharing the music that they love.
The McCombies prefer to play in small country communities, at general stores and churches, and they like to tie in a hymn during the set. “It’s a way to tap into a place you might not recall,” Austin says. “Then we start playing and you remember, it brings everyone to the table.” Maybe this affinity is rooted in their own musical pasts. Sarah grew up Quaker on her family farm and first learned to sing African American Spirituals. In college, she discovered the Carters and joined the old-time trio The South Carolina Broadcasters. And when she met Austin, he told her how he learned to play blues after his late Uncle Bear put a guitar in his hands.
Maybe All I Want From You is best described as a testament to that union—a longing for all that’s true, good, and beautiful—and turning back to find it. You can hear it on the first track on the album, the first song Sarah and Austin wrote as one. “The wind blows and whispers your name. The dog sits on the porch, howlin’ out your name. I lay awake at night screamin’ out your name. Come home. Come home. Come home.” — Ashleigh Phillips