Carolina Story

Blending folk intimacy, country grit, and alt-rock muscle, Carolina Story’s resilient new
album, Dandelion, is an ode to survival in the face of struggle, a full-throated tribute to
the power of hope and the unbreakable bonds of family. Recorded with acclaimed
producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Moak (Joy Williams, Ashley
Monroe), the collection is fueled by raw, honest storytelling and lush, cinematic
arrangements, expanding the homespun craftsmanship of the Nashville duo’s debut to
draw on a broader, more ambitious palette, one that hints at everything from The
Jayhawks and Lucinda Williams to R.E.M. and Nirvana. Though the record was written
over the course of the last few years, the songs here feel eerily prescient given the
current state of the world, reflecting on loneliness, depression, and economic hardship
with the kind of vulnerability and empathy that can only come from lived experience.
Much like the dandelion, though, Carolina Story insist on reaching for the light with their
music. After more than a decade in the business, it’s all they know how to do.

“There’s just something about the dandelion that spoke to us,” says Ben Roberts, who
shares vocal and songwriting duties with his wife, Emily. “It’s this humble little plant that’s
so tough it can grow through cracks in concrete. It’s an underdog, just like us.”

Launched in 2009, Carolina Story built their reputation the old-fashioned way, performing
countless shows from coast to coast during a whirlwind six-year run that saw them
gracing stages from the Grand Ole Opry to AmericanaFest. After taking a temporary
break from the road to welcome two children into the world, the duo returned in a big
way in 2017, signing with the record label Black River Americana to release their studio
debut, Lay Your Head Down. The album was a critical hit that helped land the band
dates with the likes of Hayes Carll, Bob Schneider, and Delta Rae, among others, and
prompted Rolling Stone to declare them an “Artist You Need To Know.”