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'Chatham Rabbits' Nods To Old Traditions With New Stories

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Anita Rao
Published April 19, 2019 at 1:55 PM EDT

Chatham County was once best known for its rabbits. The wild animals were so plentiful in the region at the turn of the 20th century that thousands were shipped out as cash crops each year. This piece of forgotten North Carolina history is just one story of many that inspires the new folk duo Sarah McCombie and Austin McCombie. 

Chatham Rabbits joins host Frank Stasio in studio for conversation and live performance with Austin on guitar and vocals and Sarah on banjo and vocals.

The two, who perform together as Chatham Rabbits, consider themselves just as much storytellers as they are musicians. Their debut album “All I Want From You” features songs about the history and culture of North Carolina as well as guest appearances from North Carolina artists Andrew Marlin of Mandolin Orange, Libby Rodenbough of Mipso, Josh Oliver and more.

Chatham Rabbits joins host Frank Stasio in studio for conversation and live performance with Austin on guitar and vocals and Sarah on banjo and vocals.

https://youtu.be/jksd21zn1js

Austin McCombie and Sarah Osborne McCombie combine storytelling with strings in their debut album 'All I Want From You.'
Courtesy of Kendall Atwater /
Austin McCombie and Sarah Osborne McCombie combine storytelling with strings in their debut album 'All I Want From You.'
Austin McCombie and Sarah Osborne McCombie combine storytelling with strings in their debut album 'All I Want From You.'
Courtesy of Kendall Atwater /
Austin McCombie and Sarah Osborne McCombie combine storytelling with strings in their debut album 'All I Want From You.'

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
See stories by Anita Rao