Irish music has a long, rich history of influencing old-time music and related styles, and with Ireland-based roots band I Draw Slow performing in Raleigh's Fletcher Theater in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Feb. 26, you'll see the influence come full circle, as this Irish band's sound is rooted in the style of the Appalachian mountains and the traditions of Irish music, while incorporating all that's great about modern Americana.

I Draw Slow is a five-piece outfit comprising vocals, guitar, fiddle, banjo and double bass. Holden siblings Dave (guitar) and Louise (vocals) have been writing together for two decades. In 2008 the pair teamed up with violinist Adrian Hart, clawhammer banjo player Colin Derham, and double bassist Konrad Liddy to form this band.

In 2014, they performed in Raleigh as part of the StreetFest during Wide Open Bluegrass, presented by PNC. They have been described in the UK press as "American top league equivalents" destined "to blow the opposition away," drawing favorable comparisons with Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss.

The music of I Draw Slow does not seem like it belongs in 21st century Ireland, but that anomaly is exactly what makes the music special, even magical. Their subtle, polished, unobtrusive sound accomplishes a single-handed renaissance of the American folk music revival of the 1960s. It is no surprise, therefore, that Louise Holden and her brother draw

"Carolina" Sung by I Draw Slow Louise Holden, vocalist

inspiration from artists like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, as well as Hank Williams, when they write songs for the group. Louise Holden, however, might push back against the idea that her band's music lives in another time. For her, I Draw Slow is a contemporary, organic development in the transnational folk music genre. She sees her band's music as a "natural evolution" into a "contemporary blend of American and Irish"-one steeped in the history of musical travel from Scotland and Ireland to the U.S. I Draw Slow aim to do more than revive old American songbooks: they try to create new, thematically modernized ones.

PineCone-Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, a Raleigh-based non-profit organization, presents I Draw Slow in Fletcher Theater in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Feb. 26. The concert begins at 8pm. Tickets are still available and start at just $22.

The more you listen, the more you not only like the music, the narratives of the songs and the profusion of moods they convey, the more you might be drawn into I Draw Slow's unique gorgeous world.

I Draw Slow - Friday, Feb. 26th. 8:00pm at Fletcher Theater in the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts. Tickets: Click Here. 

For eons, a certain (ahem) restaurant had cornered the market in the Triangle as simply, The Best; Magnolia Grill....Oh how we miss it! So it's no small feat to introduce you to their offspring, the creator and owner of Pizzeria Mercato.

Pizzeria Mercato opened last week at 408 W. Weaver Street, in Carboro, NC. Mercato is operated by Gabe Barker, son of James Beard-award-winning chefs Ben and Karen Barker, former owners of Magnolia Grill in Durham.

Unlike his parents, who met on the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America, Gabe opted for on-the-job culinary training in San Fransisco. He was able to work for one of the best pizzerias, Pizzeria Delfina. As his time at Pizzeria Delfina progressed, he really began to see how passionate he was about that style of food as well as the fast/casual, yet informed service that was provided. Also, it had always been a goal to one day be able to spend time cooking with his mom and dad.... And so he did!

As its name suggests, Pizzeria Mercato will draw on the farmers' market, as well as other local growers and producers for ingredients that will add flavor to pizza. Pizzas are cooked in a gas-fired, brick-lined deck oven. But his robust menu also features great dishes like roast chicken, baked ziti, as well as antipasti, soups and fritti.

Pizzeria Mercato's menu will vary seasonally. On this night, options ranged in price from $13 for the Margherita to $17 for the Funghi, a mix of savory mushrooms. Each was carried fast enough from oven to table that the enticing aroma of char made burnt bubbles in the crust a particular delicacy. With the foundation of a thin, chewy crust whose flavor suggests a long and slow fermentation, we'd say that Pizzeria Mercato easily meets expectations of "artisan" quality.

  Dessert options included a trio of ice cream flavors that suggested mom's creative signature. The creamy vanilla gelato is luscious, as the espresso, which is loaded with crunchy chunks of chocolate. The showstopper, however, is a vegan lemon-coconut sorbetto. Everyone who's tried it is observed with the same stunned expression of delight.

Guests could not be blamed for being slightly distracted from the food by the setting, which features rustic chestnut tables and colorful bench seatbacks made from salvaged wood by Jeff Knight of Knight Woodworks and Seth Burch of Durham's Hollow Rock Construction. Other craftsman finishes were produced by Brian Plaster Design of Carrboro, which created all the metalwork, from the pizza box holder to the bike rack.

Pizzeria Mercato well worth the trip to Carboro. Who said cooking wasn't genetic?

Pizzeria Mercato - 408 W. Weaver St. Carrboro, NC  Ph: (919) 967-2277.   

Olde Raleigh Real Estate Jill Rekuc, Broker Ph: (919)389-0555, Email, Website

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