Roman Candle

The alt-country and indie-rock five-piece originated in Chapel Hill, yet its origins trace to brothers Skip and Logan Matheny’s upbringing in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. There, an elder great-grandfather regularly escorted them to the Grand Ole Opry, while their father—a high-school band director who moonlighted in R&B groups—brought the family each year to Merlefest, the gathering Doc Watson established in memory of his son. When Logan enrolled at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill alongside Skip in 1997, the siblings launched an informal project, Skip handling guitar and vocals while Logan played drums and local acquaintances filled additional roles. Within several years a stable roster emerged, and the group began performing regularly in the area under the name Roman Candle. Momentum halted, however, once Skip, together with his wife Timshel—who contributed Wurlitzer and Farfisa—relocated to Oregon for steadier employment. The project resumed after Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce, seeking to launch a label, offered Skip a recording deal; guitarist Nick Jaeger and bassist Jeff Crawford completed the lineup, and the resulting debut, Says Pop, appeared in 2002. Hoping for stronger marketing, Pryce and the band pursued Hollywood Records, though negotiations yielded no agreement. Back in North Carolina, the musicians encountered producer Chris Stanley, who helped reshape the Says Pop material. In 2005 they secured a deal with V2 Records, which issued the revised collection—retitled The Wee Hours Revue—in 2006. Three years later the well-regarded Oh Tall Tree in the Ear followed.