The alt-country/indie rock quintet from Chapel Hill had its roots in bandmembers (and brothers) Skip and Logan Matheny's childhoods in Wilkesboro, NC, where they grew up with a great-grandfather who took them to ~the Grand Ole Opry and a high-school band director father who also performed in R&B bands and took his family to ~Merlefest, an annual musical event held by Doc Watson to remember his son. In 1997, when Logan joined his brother at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Mathenys formed an unofficial band (with Logan on drums and Skip on guitar and vocals), having friends and acquaintances sit in to fill out the sound. Within a few years, they had a consistent lineup and were playing around town regularly.