Burlap to Cashmere, an alternative CCM outfit, centers on cousins John Philippides and Steven Delopoulus, a vocal-and-guitar pair based in Brooklyn. Manager Jamison Ernest first spotted the pair during a New Jersey coffeehouse set and quickly helped them form the full band by adding guitarist Mike Ernest, bassist Roby Guarnera, keyboardist Josh Zandman, drummer Theodore Pagano, and percussionist Scott Barksdale. Drawing from an expansive palette of folk and world-music traditions, the musicians soon played notable New York rooms such as the Bottom Line, Irving Plaza, and Tramps while cultivating a nationwide cult audience through relentless touring. Following the independent release of a live album in 1997, Burlap to Cashmere inked a deal with A&M the next year and issued their major-label debut, Anybody Out There? Their second album, the self-titled Burlap to Cashmere, arrived in 2011 and included the single “Build a Wall.”
