Chatham Rabbits: A Day at the Burrow with Sarah & Austin
Last weekend I drove to Siler City, North Carolina to hang out with Sarah & Austin McCombie—the bluegrass duo known as Chatham Rabbits. The couple lives on a farm with two horses (Waylon and Wilder)…
two cows (Petunia and Sercy)…
Ruby the dog…
Biscuit the cat…
and a whole slew of chickens.
Andrew and the girls and I have all been huge fans of Chatham Rabbits for the past year, and their music plays daily in our kitchen, in the car, and in my AirPods. I love Sarah & Austin’s songwriting because it’s at once familiar and fresh. It’s fun and full of heart, and it’s about real life. Not surprisingly, I felt all of those things during my time with the McCombies.
I felt connected to the McCombies even before meeting them in person, and getting to spend a whole day with them was even more fun than I anticipated. Their suggestion that we eat lunch at Bestfood Cafeteria immediately piqued my interest, and when Austin mentioned that his favorite part of the restaurant is that the salad bar includes fried chicken, it confirmed my suspicion that we are indeed kindred spirits.
After lunch, we stopped by Piggly Wiggly for toilet paper, LaCroix, and popsicles (#necessities) and then headed back home to get ready for their show that evening.
After some careful testing, tweaking, and tuning, the McCombies’ open barn venue, The Burrow, was ready for guests to start arriving for the evening concert.
That night’s show was especially exciting because it was the first time Sarah and Austin had gotten to play with their upright bass and mandolin players in over a year.
The show was fantastic, the crowd was enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. Sarah’s attention to detail truly makes the experience of a concert at The Burrow something special. Everything from the antique card table and hand-painted sign for merch, to the flower truck from local Bottom of the Fox farm, to the coloring sheets and crayons set out for kids… not to mention the warm hospitality as the McCombies and their crew welcomed guests to the show.
The McCombies are my kind of people. They’re funny and kind and real and down-to-earth. I really enjoyed my day with them, and I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time with them—through listening to their music, looking back over my photographs, and hopefully visiting them in person again soon.
Learn more about Chatham Rabbits, check to see if they’re playing near you, and add their music to your Spotify rotation. You won’t regret it.