Mipso hits Tahoe for the first time performing at the Crystal Bay Casino on May 21. Their unique sound weaves a tapestry of bluegrass, indie folk and the spirit of the Appalachians with a modern, updated vibe. The band formed in 2011 while members were attending college at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Initially a trio that comprised of mandolin player Jacob Sharp, Joseph Terrell on guitar and Wood Robinson on the stand-up bass, with fiddler Libby Rodenbough joining the band in 2014.
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“We present a compelling and engaging set that allows the audience to take a ride with us.”
– Jacob Sharp
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Products of the 90s and pop fans at heart, the band looked to the rich, traditional music of their home state.
“While recording the album, ‘Dark Holler Pop,’ we realized we were well situated in the present with an eye to the past,” says Sharp.
A number of tunes like “Captain’s Daughter” and Marianne both off their latest album, Old Time Reverie, shades of Celtic and Scottish roots emerge, transporting the listener back to Scottish Highlands of yore.
“The history of Bluegrass is relatively new. It formed in the Grand Ole Opry and was a result a melting pot of immigrants from the 17th and 18th Century, many moved to the mountains and were isolated and insulated. Scottish and Celtic sounds run wide in Bluegrass,” explains Sharp.
Sharp has a deep affinity for Jam bands and is a fan of Phish and the String Cheese Incident.
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“I fell in love with the mandolin and the oddness of it. I got interested in Bluegrass while in college travelling,” he says. “We think of ourselves as a string band not necessarily a bluegrass band and take pride in our writing. There is a benefit with the fluidity of the music and not being limited by genres,” Sharp adds. The band is more concerned with emotions and the arc of a song.
Sharp realizes and respects that when people that come to hear Mipso perform it’s about their time.
“It’s a big ask to get someone’s undivided attention for 90 minutes and there’s a responsibility to play a compelling set that has emotion and stories. We present a compelling and engaging set that allows the audience to take a ride with us,” Sharp says.
The band plays more than 200 shows a year. “We live a life on the road, there is less time to be rooted in our home community,” Sharp says, noting how it can be a challenge to write songs while on the road.
“The genesis of a song might be a line or hook from one person, but the process is a collective one. We flesh out the lyrics and arrangements. As musicians we are bombarded with many new things on radio or while shopping and it’s not necessarily music we chose to listen to, but there is an opportunity to pull from it,” says Sharp.
Sharp says that he draws from his own personal experience and emotion. “I am always looking for a great lyric, a word that is meant to be sang,” he says. “Some people always knew they were going to be musicians, but we all stumbled into it. I am grateful to make music and make money doing it.”
Mipso heads back to the studio this summer to record a new album. How the band got their name is a question that comes up for them time and time again. Sharp explains it like this, “It’s a unique word we encountered, it is who we are, it’s our music, and our personality.”
This will be Mipso’s first time playing the Tahoe area and Sharp says they’ll be introducing some new of their new material from their upcoming album. As lovers of the outdoors, Tahoe will offer this band some mountain energy to make them feel right at home.
For more information, visit crystalbaycasino.com.
May 20 | 10 p.m. | Free
Crystal Bay Club | Crystal Bay, Nev.
