Concert Review: Mipso @ 9:30 Club (11/17/23)

Indie folk and bluegrass virtuosos, Mipso, stayed late at the 9:30 Club on November 17th, to the apparent joy of all those in attendance.

From North Carolina, which features prominently in their music, the band is touring for their sixth album, Book of Fools (via Rounder Records). They were joined by Richmond’s Palmyra (the first of three nights with them), and the 29th night of this tour. This was a late show at the 9:30 Club, so they started their set at 11pm. A likely consequence of it not being as full as it might have been.

They kicked off with “Hurt So Good”, about sneaking off with that someone you shouldn’t be with, but obviously you still do it.

Mipso is made up of Jacob Sharp (mandolin, vocals, keyboard), Joseph Terrell (guitar, vocals), Libby Rodenbough (fiddle, vocals, keyboard), and Wood Robinson (standing double bass, vocals). There was a fifth member on drums for this show as well. Jacob, Joseph and Libby all rotated vocal duties, with Joseph and Libby doing about seven songs each. In total they performed 18 songs, including four songs from Book of Fools.

Later came “People Change” from 2018’s Edges Run. Jacob led vocal duties on this hauntingly melancholy song about how you can be in love with someone so deeply, but when it ends, time moves on and the love fades.

Next came “Hey, Coyote”, where Jacob shared a story about a couple who played this song for their son when he was sick. Then Joseph led us on an introspective lyrical journey about mundane interactions and what it’s like to tour on a regular basis. The song contains one of my favorite lyrics from the show, ‘Hey coyote, paint me another way home.’ It feels like something out of a fairytale, yet speaks to wanting to get home by any means possible.

The band first formed on the campus of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, when Joseph and Jacob met during open mic nights. They added Wood and became the Mipso Trio, and began performing around campus in 2011. Libby joined in 2012, and with the addition they shortened the name to simply Mipso. The origin of the name as described by Joseph, ‘There’s a phrase in Japan that means something familiar, but there’s something a little bit off. And it roughly translates, or at least we were told, to ‘a little pee in the miso.’ And so we put a little P in the miso and got: Mipso.’ Thankfully they do not serve miso at the 9:30 Club. They released their first album with this lineup in 2013, titled Dark Holler Pop (via Robust Records), which was produced by Andrew Marlin (of Watchhouse, previously Mandolin Orange).

The band separated themselves around the stage with their respective instruments, and other than lights, there was no specific stage decorations. Just pure, soul-stirring folk music without distraction. In the middle of the set, they huddled together in a small circle around a single microphone for a block of four songs.

The second song in their intimate huddle, “Let a Little Light In”, comes from their 2020 self-titled album. According to Joseph it speaks to watching a home movie from your youth and experiencing the strangeness of not being able to find that same feeling within yourself anymore.

Near the end of the main set, they performed what was likely my favorite song of the set. “Edges Run”, from 2018’s album of the same name, starts with an overstimulating amount of string instruments, with a string bridge in the middle, before Libby gives her heartfelt best on the repeated chorus. I’m not quite sure what the song means, but I took it mean (at least during the live version) that nothing is as clear as it seems, and that’s a good thing.

They ended the main set with a song from Book of Fools, “Carolina Rolling By”, as sung by Joseph with everyone contributing to the chorus. They also brought Palmyra back on stage to join, even singing one verse. I also really like this song, probably my second favorite on the night. It’s the perfect road trip song, what more could you ask for?

Despite the late hour, Mipso found it in their hearts to give us a two-song encore, including the title track from Book of Fools. The final song was “Servant to It”, from Edges Run, where Libby gave the still robust crowd (for some, it was past their bedtime) an upbeat song to hold dear on the journey home.

They also included one cover, Dido’s “White Flag”, which is another favorite of mine. Probably safe to say I enjoyed this concert, and I’ll be acquiring some of their albums. So should you, if you haven’t already.

Setlist