Although the style and sound are steeped in nostalgia, North Carolina act Carolina Chocolate Drops is anything but revivalist.
The three-piece string band plays a near-seamless blend of bluegrass, blues and Piedmont string music that lends new life to both standards and decidedly modern material, according to Justin Robinson, who plays with the group.
"It's basically what we are all about," he said in a recent interview promoting the group's performance tonight at Sky City. "Because the thing is, looking at music from a purely historic perspective doesn't make it good music.
"We feel like you have to do something else with it."
For the Chocolate Drops, that has meant taking contemporary songs and playing them on fiddle, guitar and banjo, or writing tunes that address topical concerns while still feeling like the century-old reels that inspired them.
"It's the crux of what we do," Robinson said. "We didn't grow up with this music. I mean, Rhiannon (Giddens) and I didn't really start playing this style of folk music until five or six years ago. We don't have the same sort of attachment other artists do. But that allows us to be a little bit freer."
The band is on tour in support of its recently released Genuine Negro Jig album. It's a record that, in a few short months, has enjoyed both critical and commercial success.
Although the band continues to take breaks to record and write, Robinson said Carolina Chocolate Drops is a touring ensemble. He said the only way a band like the Drops can build an audience is by putting the music in front of fans.
"Our focus has always, and probably will always, be on the stage show," he said. "The truth is, we spend a lot of time on the road and comparatively little in the studio. ... Live is the best way to experience that energy."
The band plays about 200 dates a year. Robinson said constantly being on the road benefits not only fans anxious to have Carolina Chocolate Drops at a nearby venue, but also the band.
"When we started, we certainly weren't as musically adept as we are now," he said. "But we were doing something that felt good and sounded good. Of course, you can't play those 200 dates a year and sound worse.
"Not unless you are doing something really wrong."
WHAT: Carolina Chocolate Drops with Young Goodman Brown
WHEN: 9 p.m. today
WHERE: Sky City, 1157 Broad St.
COST: $15; www.skycityaugusta.com
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