North Carolina is the birthplace of hundreds of bluegrass, folk and country musicians such as Mipso, Acoustic Sydnicate and even widely famous artists like Nina Simone. Asheville-based group Polly Panic could be setting a new standard for underground artists in the state.
Polly Panic was started in 2006 by cellist Jenette Mackie and has since expanded with poet and drummer Caleb Beissert. They played at The Station in Carborro on Oct. 6 and will be continuing their tour throughout the next two months, stopping in Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Asheville.
Mackie said the band's name was inspired by a collection of short stories by Sylvia Plath titled “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams” and her dog, Polly. Self-described “grunge baby” Mackie said her greatest influences as a cello player and songwriter are PJ Harvey, Tom Waits and Nirvana.
Polly Panic falls into a unique genre known as chamber rock, in which chamber instruments are featured in a grungier style than their typical orchestral setting. Mackie said the rock genre has lost its spark, and Polly Panic is her way of reminding people what rock is.
“The rock scene is a lot of whiny white boys with guitars,” Mackie said. “There’s not really rock happening.”
Polly Panic’s new album, Losing Form, is described by Mackie as simple and raw – a musical journey of her struggle with depression and recovering from alcoholism. She said her struggle with addiction was like having a spirit, body and mind that don’t fit together, and the new album was her vehicle for expressing that pain.
“People seem to be, like, thirsty for something that’s authentic and raw,” Mackie said.
Mackie believes people want their music to bring up things nobody wants to talk about.
“Mainstream music doesn’t do that,” she said. “There’s definitely a call for underground musicians to do that, and we will be well received.”
