Austin McCombie \u201915 embarked on a career as a certified financial planner after graduating from NC State, but the work didn\u2019t speak to him. He was more interested in music, so he and his wife, Sarah, quit their jobs to go full time with their Americana duo, Chatham Rabbits.<\/a> It\u2019s gone well enough for them to land a television series on PBS North Carolina, On the Road With Chatham Rabbits<\/em>, which recently wrapped its first season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor Sarah, this is her childhood dream come true,\u201d McCombie, 30, says with a laugh. \u201cShe\u2019s extroverted, I\u2019m not. But when I saw the first episode, it was all worth it even though it made me realize what a goofball I am.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The duo\u2019s three albums feature Austin on guitar and Sarah on clawhammer banjo and fiddle, playing music with an old-time stringband feel. They\u2019ve appeared at every notable Southern music festival, recently cracking 15,000 Instagram followers while growing from 1,500 to 22,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve always approached our career like a hot-air balloon instead of a rocket ship, building an audience one fan at a time.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019ve always approached our career like a hot-air balloon instead of a rocket ship,\u201d says McCombie, \u201cbuilding an audience one fan at a time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The couple met at a 2013 show by Chapel Hill-based duo Mandolin Orange (now Watchhouse), where Sarah\u2019s previous group, South Carolina Broadcasters, was the opening act. She walked onstage with a banjo and it was love at first sight for McCombie. They were soon dating and playing music together, marrying in 2015. They took their new band\u2019s name from the Chatham Rabbits Stringband, an old-time ensemble sponsored by the Bynum Mill nearly a century ago. The couple lives in Bynum, N.C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we started Chatham Rabbits, we\u2019d play anywhere we could,\u201d says McCombie. \u201cOur first-ever gig was at the general store in Saxapahaw (N.C.) for food and tips in front of maybe 20 people. Four years later, we sold out the Haw River Ballroom there, almost 600 people. It\u2019s going in the right direction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Austin McCombie \u201915<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nBy David Menconi<\/h4>\n\n\n\n