The decision, March 14 last year, was a hard one.

The JP & Leon Band were scheduled for their first live gig of 2020 in downtown Hillsborough, but grim reports of a spreading influenza virus were causing many other local acts to cancel their sets. All weekend, the band received texts from friends asking if the show was still on.

A beloved fixture in town since their early days of Open Mic at the Blue Bayou, the JP & Leon Band could, under normal circumstances, guarantee a strong crowd.

“I did a lot of reading that weekend,” frontman Bryan Leon Phelps says. “My father [guitarist Jerry “JP” Phelps] had turned 67, he’s much older. In the end, we decided to stay home and livestream the show. We thought the shutdown would only last three weeks, but as the year went on, we began to wonder if we should regret canceling the show.”

No doubt this was a concern weighing on every Hillsborough musician. For a town its size—less than six square miles and a population a hair over 7,000—it boasts an embarrassment of riches. Visual arts are celebrated monthly with the Last Friday Art Walk, and there has been much written about the extensive coterie of writers who live there. The town’s best-kept secret, though, may be its eclectic live music scene.

“Hillsborough has very open ears,” says Katharine Whalen, the founding member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and a fixture in Hillsborough’s music scene ever since she stopped touring in the 90s. For the past few years, her current bands, Swedish Wood Patrol, Certain Seas, and JazzSquad could be found performing across Orange County on any given week. Between venues, she’s just as comfortable in an evening gown paired with fur as in a pair of overalls.

“It’s fertile ground because it’s a nice place for artists to get settled,” Whalen says.

“It hasn’t always been like that,” Phelps adds. “There’s been a lot of change. I don’t know if everything just hit at the right place at the right time, or if we’re witnessing a runoff from the old Chapel Hill music scene, or if it’s because we have new music venues, but lately Hillsborough has truly offered a platform for musicians.”

The front men for The Shoaldiggers, an “acid jug band” agree.

“[It’s] the Hillsborough sound,” Shoaldigger Daryl White says. “The people here create music because they absolutely have to.”

Bob Johnson, the often-barefoot co-host of WHUP 104.7FM’s live music show, Pass the Hat, has had a front-row seat, above the town in his broadcast studio on King Street, to the scene’s evolution.

“The local sound has an eclectic nature,” Johnson says. “It’s very small-town, rural North Carolina. Folk, Americana, almost country. It’s always lacked diversity, but we see it growing, moving, and gaining diversity, moving from open mics filled with middle-aged white dudes with guitars to female, artists of color, and even alternative lifestyles.”

That scene was gaining a special sense of momentum and stature, early last year, as tip totals, gig requests, and audience sizes swelled upward. Then came COVID-19.

“And,” Katharine Whalen says, “everything just stopped.”

Thankfully, that abrupt stop turned out to be more of a pause, as local musicians began to work on new directions.

“COVID taught us what our priorities are,” White says. “I wrote for the first part of the pandemic, but in the back of my mind I wondered: How are we going to keep the band together?”

Some members of The Shoaldiggers, a nine-person band, decided to step back and focus on families, while others lost themselves in music. In the end, the band has stripped down to three members playing pop-up shows at the local venues. Beck and White teamed up with local musicians Jess Klein and Mike June for dinners and band practices, and called themselves The Quarantine Quartet. They also released three studio EPs, Ways, Wind, and Wires, and recorded another to be released in June.

“People who cared about music before COVID are doing their thing,” White says. “It’s about the love of music.”

That love, or impulse, was certainly felt by Katharine Whalen. The “beloved fixture of Hillsborough music,” as Bob Johnson calls her, never stopped working. Within days of the governor’s lockdown, she and bandmates Danny Grewen and Austin Riopel were livestreaming their Way Out Yonder series, an extension of her residency at the local cocktail lounge. They performed live nearly every Friday to audiences across the world, despite tech issues and, in some instances, an unruly goat.

“I feel stronger than ever,” Whalen says. “I kept working and my bands are going great.”

Aside from socially distanced outdoor gigs, Katharine’s JazzSquad also released an album amid the pandemic. To Hide A Heart That’s Blue was underwritten by the Orange County Arts Commission and features music from an early era of Billie Holiday’s repertoire.

Even Bob Johnson’s Pass the Hat experienced a bit of an evolution. His show formerly hosted sets from two different musicians, an audience, and a bottle of bourbon. Although they never missed a show, he and co-host Kirk Ridge were forced to alter the format. Now Plexiglas dividers separate the single artist from the hosts and no audiences are allowed in. But the bourbon and Bob’s passion for great local music have never wavered.

“It’s the new normal,” says Bob, “You can’t keep Hillsborough musicians down.”

That sense of community inspires Bryan Phelps. The JP & Leon Band livestreamed the show they decided to cancel in March 2020. They livestreamed a handful of others throughout the pandemic, but he knew there was time to do more.

“I looked at what The Shoaldiggers were doing during lockdown and made a decision,” says Phelps, whose band recorded four songs during the pandemic. “I knew this was the time to get songs recorded.”

As COVID releases its grip on the world, people are slowly reemerging from their isolation. They are rediscovering what formerly delivered them joy. Drinks in public. In-person conversations. And, of course, live music. In Hillsborough—where a giant mural of Billy Strayhorn outside the record store, Volume, boasts this rich musical heritage—its citizens are pleased to find the musicians have regained their footing

“It’s important that people know we didn’t just sink into a hole,” says Phelps. “I want to show everyone what we’ve been up to.”

A Short Guide to Hillsborough Music Venues 

Nash Street Tavern: 250 S. Nash St

They care about music in this hole-in-the-wall powered by sound engineer Rainbow Cabbage’s perfect ear. Essential stop for music with true Hillsborough flavor. Bob Johnson says, “It’s a room that barely fits 50 but draws 60.”

Yonder: 114 W. King St

A “reasonably fancy” downtown cocktail lounge that hosts an eclectic array of live music on weekends, as well as a monthly comedy show. (Disclaimer: The author owns this venue). The open mic night draws talent from all over the state.

Botanist & Barrel: 105 Persimmon Hill Lane

This artisan cidery and winery (close to Cedar Grove) hosts outdoor events complete with their own food trucks and tasty beverages crafted onsite. Home to one of Katharine Whalen’s many residencies across town.

The Colonial Inn: 153 W. King St.  During COVID, the recently renovated hotel graduated from beloved eyesore to Hillsborough’s celebrated centerpiece. It’s home to many events, from wine tastings to live outdoor music.

The Kraken: 2823 NC Hwy 54 W  

Don’t sleep on this road house waaaay off the beaten path. Although it technically has a Chapel Hill address, it hosts many Hillsborough musicians and residents. Its Wednesday night Shake Sugaree Americana Residency with Jonathan Byrd is the stuff of legends.

Hot Tin Roof: 115 W. Margaret Lane

This quintessential honkytonk will make you forget you are in colonial downtown with its cover bands and longnecks. It’s known for its late night DJ sets and Sunday night karaoke.

River Park Concert Series: 228 S. Churton Ave

This annual downtown celebration is a free outdoor live music event for all ages celebrating local music, art, wellness, and environmental communities. Hosted by the Hillsborough Arts Council, it draws international recording acts as well as homegrown talent.

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