FALL ARTS
TURNING THE PAGE
I know there was a brief period of doubt once you guys really started traveling and gaining national recognition. Tell me a little about that feeling and how you overcame it. Jacob Sharp That’s a great question. I mean, it’s probably important to set the time: [We] met when we were 18-yearold high school seniors; now we’re 33. All of us are really tight friends and [have been] tight collaborators for 13 years. I think [in] any relationship like that, we’re always changing, and we’re not always changing in the same directions at the same speeds. So the challenge of keeping any group together is if you can really see somebody for who they are now, free from who they were, and make space for those changes, and see how those changes still line up with you. But I think one of the cool things about our band now is not just the new music we’re making but the history that we have with one another. We’re like this family that knows one another so intimately musically and offstage, too. And I think that the songs that we make together – and the shows that we put on – show that, and ideally, do it with open arms that make you feel like you’re in the family for the night, too. Joseph Terrell We’ve been doing Mipso full time for 10 years this fall. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the music industry. What it means to be a musician is so different than 10 years ago, and we struggle with that a lot. What we think is the most relevant is finding something in yourself that’s really true emotionally and then sharing it with people. Whether it’s to write a song or just to talk and share food, or to play a concert. I think there have been some moments where we’ve looked at the landscape of what it means to be a professional musician, and I don’t think our love for playing music together has changed, but it’s easy not to love what it is that’s asked of you.
Mipso talks overcoming doubts, embracing change and calling North Carolina home on the eve of the release of their “Book of Fools” album A s to l d to Syd ney Ro ss
P h o to by Calli We stra
Tell me a little about the album “Book of Fools.” Joseph There are some moments of real intensity and some real energy. It feels a little bit more rock ‘n’ roll than the stuff we’ve done in the past. But also, the process of making it was pretty easygoing and really filled with trust. It’s the kind of record we only could have made now, having been a band together for a long time. Instead of making a record where we plan it all out beforehand and piece together all the parts perfectly, we were like, “Let’s get into a great room with a couple of great friends and turn the mics on and see what happens.” Jacob It was [a] much longer process. We recorded last year in two different cities and two different studios. But that was after almost a full year of getting together and having writing retreats where we were just sharing ideas. And it wasn’t always music. Sometimes it was just sharing, on a personal level, about where we’re at. Up until the pandemic, we were on the road together three-quarters of the year for eight years straight. Then COVID-19 happened, and some of us are living farther away than we used to. There is almost a process of getting to know one another again, and I think the songs show that. The musicality [and] the energy is turned up. It’s like when people joke about turning the amp up to 1, I feel like we kind of did that on the record.
Mipso members Wood Robinson, Joseph Terrell, Libby Rodenbough and Jacob Sharp.
M
ipso released their newest album, “Book of Fools,” on Aug. 25, so we talked to band members Jacob Sharp and Joseph Terrell about the creative process, their tour musthaves and the significance of staying true to their musical heritage.
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chapelhillmagazine.com
September/October 2023
If you could describe this album in one word, what would it be? Joseph If it had to be one word, it definitely would be “music.” Because I would hate for anyone to misunderstand what it is, and that’s music. If I can get a whole phrase, I would say, “really good music.” Jacob I remember that on the last album that came out in October 2020, we talked a lot about how we felt like it was the record that was the most us, like the most Mipso, [and] we finally found ourselves. I feel like this one, we’re still us, but we’re also stepping out a little bit.
What do you hope all people can take away from your music, either the upcoming album or just your overall music in general? Joseph I feel like we make sense here. We’re from North Carolina, [and] I’m proud to be from North Carolina. I think the music that we make comes from people who have really lived and breathed this place. I hope when people listen to our music, they feel a connection to this beautiful Piedmont place that we love. Jacob A lot of these songs, regardless of how they’re musically packaged, talk about some of what we’ve been talking about in this conversation. The world is changing around us, and we’re more connected than ever. But I