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Honey Magpie On Making It As Independent Musicians In The 21st Century

Honey Magpie is a folk trio based in Chapel Hill. From left: Rachael Hurwitz, Kati Moore, and Pippa Hoover.
Honey Magpie is a folk trio based in Chapel Hill. From left: Rachael Hurwitz, Kati Moore, and Pippa Hoover.

Singer-songwriter Rachael Hurwitz struggled to make it as a musician in New York City. She eventually decided to head south in search of a more encouraging culture. On her way down to North Carolina, Hurwitz put out an ask for bandmates on Craigslist, an online haven for eager musicians. Pippa Hoover quickly responded to the post, and soon after Honey Magpie had their first rehearsal in Hurwitz’s laundry room. The folk group released their second album in July, supported by crowdfunding. Rachael Hurwitz and Pippa Hoover perform live and talk with host Frank Stasio about new ways for independent musicians to seek out and redefine success in the age of social media.

The group plays a benefit concert for the Bahamas at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. They open for the Paperhand Puppet Intervention at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Forest Theater in Chapel Hill. Honey Magpie is also performing for Bugfest on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 5:30 at the main stage on Jones Street in Raleigh.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio

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.
Grant Holub-Moorman is a producer for The State of Things, WUNC's daily, live talk show that features the issues, personalities and places of North Carolina.
Josie Taris left her home in Fayetteville in 2014 to study journalism at Northwestern University. There, she took a class called Journalism of Empathy and found her passion in audio storytelling. She hopes every story she produces challenges the audience's preconceptions of the world. After spending the summer of 2018 working in communications for a Chicago nonprofit, she decided to come home to work for the station she grew up listening to. When she's not working, Josie is likely rooting for the Chicago Cubs or petting every dog she passes on the street.