“Hold the Spark should appeal to anyone who wishes Tom Petty was still around to make records. — David Menconi, Walter Magazine
Nashville-born, Chapel Hill-based Florence Dore’s third record, Hold the Spark is now out. It’s a gem. With a narrative bent that ranks her with the likes of James McMurtry and an ear for melody that has earned her comparisons with Lucinda Williams, Florence delivers rich storytelling with plenty of wit.
Served up in rich, emotional vocals and backed by a killer rock band, the songs on Hold the Spark span the spectrum—ranging from a tear-jerking tender love song about Florence’s daughter to a hilarious Stooges-like rocker about the stupidity of meetings (academic and otherwise); and from a sweet, wise reflection about a yearslong missed romantic opportunity to an Aimee Mann-like reflection on love and mortality. Hold the Spark, undoubtedly Florence’s strongest offering yet, features an all-star cast of Americana greats, including Jason Wilber (John Prine) and Chris Masterson (The Wallflowers, Steve Earle & the Dukes) on guitars and husband Will Rigby (Steve Earle & the Dukes, The dB’s) on drums. Mark Spencer (Son Volt) and Gene Holder (the dB’s) make appearances as well.
Don Dixon (REM) produced Hold the Spark; Paul Voran (Bon Iver, Nathaniel Rateliff, Waxahachie) mixed. Hold the Spark features cameos by the great Mitch Easter, Libby Rodenbough (Mipso), Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five), Kelly Pratt (Father John Misty), and Bonnie & Eleanor Whitmore (the latter with Elvis Costello, Steve Earle & the Dukes).
The road from her first record Perfect City (Slewfoot Records 2001) to Hold the Spark has been anything but straight. As the so-called “rocking professor” at UNC Chapel Hill, Dore teaches songwriting and literature plenty. But she has also spent a lot of time riding around on Steve Earle’s bus catching up with her Dukes husband Will Rigby, writing books, putting on conferences—including one at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—and raising their daughter.
ABOUT THE CAROLINA JUNEBUGS
The Carolina Junebugs are a folk/old-time trio based in Chapel Hill, NC comprised of Emma Bishop, Booth Bassett and Ellary Smith. They enjoy jamming with other musicians at festivals, conventions or even on the Quad at UNC-Chapel Hill. John Wood, a fellow Carolina Bluegrass Band member and bassist for student band Davie Circle , recorded their first EP “Down in the Valley” in one sitting in Bassett’s house, a fun process that Bassett described as “homestyle cooking.”
The Junebugs draw inspiration from many sources, including Doc Watson, Gillian Welch, The Avett Brothers and older Celtic tunes passed down through generations. In addition to their instruments, all three members are vocalists and songwriters; they perform original songs at weekly gigs, and most recently recorded an episode of Editor’s Notes in The Daily Tar Heel office.