MUSIC
LUCKY CHARMS FOR
C H AT H A M RABBITS
S
arah Osborne McCombie
and Austin McCombie comprise the Chatham Rabbits, and they seem to be everywhere all at once – online, in stores, on television and onstage in multiple cities nationwide as they release their third album, “If You See Me Riding By.” And in May, they celebrated the premiere of “On The Road with Chatham Rabbits,” a series of four episodes that follow their life on and off stage, broadcast locally on PBS North Carolina (formerly UNC-TV). The hope is that other affiliate stations across the country will pick up the show.
MUSIC Three years ago, Sarah and Austin moved from their quarter-acre home amid an arts-inspired community in Bynum to an 11-acre farm in blue-collar Siler City. Here, the couple spent the COVID-19 lockdown writing songs in relative isolation. 64
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
THE MUSICAL DUO RELEASE THEIR THIRD ALBUM AND LAUNCH A SERIES ON PBS NORTH CAROLINA WORDS AND PHOTO BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
“The thing that comes to mind,” Sarah reflects, “is all the stuff that the pandemic forced us to think about, or talk about, or do that we would not have otherwise done. For instance, there’s a song on there Austin wrote that is about having to think about what part of who you are is because of your upbringing.” Austin says he drew inspiration from his surroundings. “Just the light, living on the land, being around our horses, having more space for ourselves to think and reflect,” he says. “And out here, I mean, you can walk around naked and you can do whatever you want – that kind of freedom and space, creatively, is huge.” Sarah, an admitted extrovert, laughs at her introvert husband’s comment. Their tour calendar this year packs nearly 50 performances in 14 states from Vermont to Colorado. Playing in new spaces introduces their music to fresh fans that Sarah and Austin like to call “carrot heads.” And from the stage, Sarah likes to share a bit of context for each song, giving the audience
SUMMER 2022
The Chatham Rabbits perform at a festival event at Fearrington Village, one of the many venues where the band shares their music. They play in dozens of shows this year nationwide.