North Carolina duo Watchhouse (Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz) have unveiled the title track from their forthcoming album Rituals (out May 30). The single explores the concept of change and the struggle of letting go of habits that no longer serve us. It features dreamy vocal harmonies by Marlin and Frantz with Marlin playing multiple instruments including mandolin, piano, tenor and 12-string guitar.

There may be hundreds of folk festivals taking place around the world in a given year, but there’s certainly only one Folks Festival. For 35 years, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival has brought together the world’s favorite songwriters, from all genres, to celebrate what organizers, Planet Bluegrass, like to call “the summit of the song.” Taking place in picturesque Lyons, Colorado, over the weekend of August 8th, 9th, and 10th, this year's iteration will continue that same rich legacy.

North Carolina duo Watchhouse (Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz) have announced a new studio album called Rituals, due out May 30, 2025 via Tiptoe Tiger Music / Thirty Tigers.

The 38th Annual Old Settler’s Music Festival announces their exciting partial lineup including Americana folk-duo Watchhouse, The Devil Makes Three, bluegrass all-stars The Travelin’ McCourys, mandolin phenom Sierra Hull, local favorites Heartless Bastards, Tim O’Brien Band, Darrell Scott, Tray Wellington Band, Jack Barksdale, Jeff Plankenhorn, Grace Rowland (of the Deer), Katie Shore, Harvest Thieves, Fennario Flats, Shred Lasso and Valley Flower with more to be announced soon.

Join us at TICO TIME BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL, May11-14, 2023 at Tico Time River Resort, just 20 minutes south of Durango, Colorado.

Free Dirt Records is proud to announce the self-titled debut album from new roots music supergroup Mighty Poplar. Bringing together Andrew Marlin from Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge from Punch Brothers, Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon), and Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings), Mighty Poplar was formed as a vehicle for these artists to explore their love of improvisation through straight ahead bluegrass.

At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. The joy of improvisation keeps the music fresh, and the fun of crafting ideas on the fly keeps the musicians on their toes. This true spirit of bluegrass infuses the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, a new all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings) coming March 31, 2023 on Free Dirt Records.

Planet Bluegrass, organizers of Rockygrass, Lyons Folks Fest, and the famed Telluride Bluegrass Festival—which has coincided with the summer solstice for 5 decades—are pleased to announce Mabon, a new concert series programmed in conjunction with longtime Planet Bluegrass fan-favorite, Watchhouse. Mabon will take place September 16-18 in Lyons, Colorado, at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch during the Autumn equinox.

The debut album from Watchhouse — the duo of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz formerly known as Mandolin Orange — has gone #1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums Chart. It’s a tribute to the unique alchemy of the new album, which sees the band embarking on a bold and poetic artistic reinvention that imbues their Appalachian-steeped folk with ambient drone, gauzy soul horns, and experimental texture.

Today, Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) share the video for the loping, romantic “Upside Down,” the latest single from their new self-titled album out August 13. Directed by Elizabeth Weinberg and inspired by what Watchhouse’s Emily Frantz calls “the notion of having missed someone your whole life before you meet them,” the video captures a fleeting gas station ballet.