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FEATURES November 1, 2013 Mipso makes music, beer for performance BY GABE POLLAK Directions: soak three UNC-Chapel Hill students in bluegrass tradition. Boil Motown-influenced songwriting with the heat of college gigging. Cool, add fiddle and allow fanbase to ferment. Add two albums recorded and a successful tour through Asia, and you have Mipso. On Oct. 26, at the Haw River Ballroom, Mipso shared tunes from the product of this homegrown fermentation process, "Dark Holler Pop," as well as Dark Holler Hop, a brew named after the album, for their release party. Lines still spilling out the door into a freezing Saxapahaw, N.C. night, Mipso, made up of guitarist and singer Joseph Terrell, mandolinist Jacob Sharp and bassist Wood Robinson, played a wide variety of cuts, old and new, originals and covers. Blending up-tempo sing-alongs, like album highlight "Get Out," featuring a scorching fiddle solo from guest Libby Rodenbough, with wistful slow-burners, Mipso revealed a confidence in craft befitting a band with such a carefully laid, foundational fanbase. "This looks like a room full of friends," said Terrell from the stage. Yet this friendly environment did not stop Mipso from playing their bluegrass arrangements tightly. Mipso began the second song of the set, "A Couple Acres Greener," the first track on the album, with a dark, rhythmic mandolin intro. "Tve never been so hungry," sang Terrell. "Seems like 22 years Tve been looking for a fight." On "Lonely Town," another lyrically dissatisfied but harmonically uplifting song, Mipso engaged the whole audience. Bassist Wood Robinson and guitarist and singer Joseph Terrell are p^rt of Mipso, who celebrated the release of their new album on Oct. 26. "When I get out of this lonely town," sang Terrell with help from the crowd. "When they sing 'Lonely Town,' a lot of people our age find truth in that song," said long-time fan Carson Cashwell. Though Mipso certainly resonates with a youthful audience, the crowd was a mix of old, young and even babies napping in the arms of their grandparents. Mipso brought out opener Josh Moore for a cover of Iris Dement's bittersweet "Our Town." Mipso first met Moore as the neighborhood barista. "We knew him as our neighbor," said Terrell. "Then he started coming over and playing music with us. Little did we know, he had the voice of an angel." Mipso and Moore infused the cover with slightly more energy than on the original, still wanting to respect the song's tone, but edging it forward slightly. Robinson nodded his head eagerly in utter agreement with the groove. Breaking into the chorus. Sharp bounced slightly off the ground like a shy punk-rocker. The set included many songs about Mipso's home state, including "Red Eye to Raleigh," and fan-favorite "Carolina Calling." "It makes me proud to be from North Carolina," said Rachel Sun, another fan. Sharp summed up the big night. "Tonight represents the full-time Mipso sound," said Sharp in an interview with The Guilfordian after the show. "It was great that it started for fun, but I'm glad we decided to get serious." Fans of Mipso would certainly agree: the brew tastes great and the show tasted even better. Mipso plays the Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Comic Book City Con’s first convention impresses Dv m luiA UEAi j u..— u : ... , i i a t « t BY OLIVIA NEAL Holy fan convention. Batman! Creators, cosplayers and comic book nerds collided at the very first Comic Book City Con last weekend, hosted by Acme Comics. Located in downtown Greensboro, N.C. at The Empire Room, the convention celebrated both Acme's 30th anniversary and the women of fandom. CBCC featured a live performance from geek girl duo The Doubleclicks, as well as panels from special guests like Hope Larson, Mark Waid and Gregg Schigiel. Despite this being the convention's first year. Acme impressed many of the long-time fans. "It's been really great, much better than I thought it would be for its. first year," said attendee Joseph Harrington, dressed as Batman's infamous arch-nemesis. The Joker. "The cosplay contest was really competent, which is better than expected. I hope it grows in the future and becomes a is quickly becoming the perfect winners, most people cosplay for really big thing for the city." place to do it. different reasons. Even the vendors found that "With everything they've "If you really want to know the con exceeded expectations and done in Greensboro, from Acme why I do it, it's for the kids," loved the inclusive and friendly Comics, to Geeksboro, to the said Kevin McKinnon, dressed in arcade, there's a real building of the trademark armor of Marvel's a very specific and encouraging Thor. community," said cartoonist. The people from Acme also illustrator and writer Gregg focused heavily on creating a female-friendly by the environment established people from Acme. "It's been an incredible experience for me, as an author and as an artist," said adult fantasy novelist I.R. Harris. "It's an atmosphere where you not only feel welcome but you also feel like you can be an individual, and your most authentic self. I think that's a rare find in a lot of • events, so I feel very honored to be here." The con demonstrated "It's an atmosphere where you not only feel welcome but you also feel like you can be an individual, and your most authentic self. I think that's a rare find in a lot of events..." I.R. Harris environment to show their respect for geek girls and their contributions to fandom. While girls in "geekdom" tend to receive a lot of hate, CBCC was all about inclusion and celebration of women in the subculture. It was clear in everything, from Schigiel. "I think this convention the is a part of that." growth of the local comic scene Sunday's cosplay contest was the panels to the guek lisr to the in Greensboro, and provided an one of the con's highlights. A lot vendors, that women were an outlet for the geek subculture, of hard work and dedication went important part of the con. Everyone needs to geek out from into all of the costumes. While The panel "Geek Girl Rising" time to time, and Greensboro Acme gave away prizes to the was hosted by Doubleclicks duo Angela and Aubrey Webber, Hope Larson, author of the graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, and graphic novelist Jackie Lewis. It was moderated by Susana Polo, writer for TheMarySue.com. The panelists celebrated the women of geek culture and discussed everything from favorite female characters to the treatment of women in comic companies. "There are people in the geek community who don't realize that girls don't do everything they do for men," said Angela Webber during the panel. At the end of the panel, Larson gave advice to all young creators looking to get into the business. "Value your own work," said Larson. "Your work is worth money and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Whether you prefer Marvel or DC, Original Series or Next Generation, David Tenant or Matt Smith, everyone can agree that this year's con was a success and that we hope to see more nerd celebrations in the future.
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