Holy Ghost Tent Revival, other bands play Cat's Cradle for the Fourth of July

Eight years ago, members of Holy Ghost Tent Revival saw their future namesake on a sign as they were driving down the road. One of their most notable live performances was at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro in 2011.  

Now, seven live and studio albums later, they will return to the venue with other North Carolina-based bands Sweet Claudette and Ellis Dyson and the Shambles to celebrate the Fourth of July. 

"I am really excited for it — I love this holiday," said Melissa Hyman, cello player for Sweet Claudette. "(The Holy Ghost Tent Revival) boys are amazing, and they’re going to be sitting in with us, so we’re going to borrow their rhythm section and their drummer and their basses. We’re going to borrow their horn section, so we’re going to become like sort of like nine-piece super band, and that is really fun."

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

Stephen Murray, Matt Martin, Kevin Williams, Hank Widmer, Charlie Humphrey and Ross Montsinger are the full-time members of Holy Ghost Tent Revival, a rock band. The majority of the band went to school together at Greensboro College and picked up the other members along the way. 

Montsinger, the drummer of Holy Ghost Tent Revival, said that while he's excited to eat the hot dogs provided by Dang Good Dogs, he's most excited to play with the other bands at a venue that always brings back the memories of their first show there. 

"I think everyone loves (Cat's Cradle)," Montsinger said. "I think it’s one of our favorite places to play in North Carolina, and it’s a very nice, relaxing environment to be in, and we usually have very exciting shows, which I think everyone is looking forward to."

Sweet Claudette

Four women make up the band Sweet Claudette: Hymen, Amanda Platt, Amber Sims and Dulci Ellenberger. These women have been together for nearly six years now, since 2009, coming from groups made up of mostly men. 

The group formed in Asheville after a women’s showcase, with the help of Hyman, one of the singers and songwriters of Sweet Claudette. The group, whose members describe their sound as excited country Motown, use instruments such as the cello, banjo, guitar, hand percussion and melodica. 

Each member of Sweet Claudette plays often, just not with each other. They rarely have concerts or play outside of Asheville, but on July 4, Sweet Claudette and members of Holy Ghost Tent Revival will come together for a “nine-piece super band.” 

"It makes so much noise, and … it just gets everybody dancing. And I love getting to do that," says Hyman. "And it’s been, actually, it’s been several months since Sweet Claudette has played a show, so I’m very much looking forward to being on the stage with the girls again."

Ellis Dyson and the Shambles

Ellis and the Shambles is made up of nine members, many of them UNC students: Ellis Dyson (banjo, guitar, kazoo, vocals), Nathan Huvard (lead guitar), Jonathan Ng (fiddle), Danny Abrams (saxophone), Matt Hall (trumpet), Ford Garrard (bass fiddle), Adam Maloney (bass), Cameron Cook (tenor saxophone) and Ledah Finck (fiddle). Ellis Dyson and the Shambles have been together for nearly two years after they met through connections with Mipso, a band that formed on UNC's campus in 2010. The band plays folk/ragtime music.  

Although this is not their first time playing at Cat’s Cradle, they said they are excited to perform with Holy Ghost Tent Revival and Sweet Claudette. 

"Well, we’re playing with Holy Ghost Tent Revival, which is a band that I’ve been following since I was in high school," Dyson said. "It’s been a band that is inspired much of the way that The Shambles sounds, and they're also good friends of mine over the past couple of years, so it should be a good time."

arts@dailytarheel.com