Bands get big in all kinds of weird ways these days. Some come up through YouTube or SoundCloud. Some score prominent placements in TV commercials or movies. Some have powerful publicists. And some still do it the old-fashioned way: write great songs, record them well, get them into the ears of people, travel around the country, play shows that feel special. That’s what Mandolin Orange has done. The duo of songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz has risen quickly over the past several years, from fresh-faced, bluegrass-rooted Americana act to roots-pop powerhouse that sells out increasingly large venues far from their Chapel Hill, North Carolina home. No doubt, the band’s top-shelf picking, melodic sensibility, and beautiful, slow-burning songs have made Mandolin Orange into stars. by Ben Salmon