When Redeye Distribution opened a new Yep Roc Records office in Hillsborough, North Carolina three and a half years ago, they sought to find a way to integrate with the creative juices of the historic, southern town. What developed from that idea was The Sawyer Sessions, a series of soul-stirring live performances from artists of every genre, all set in a historic southern town with a story all its own.  Sawyer Sessions: Season 2 documents the best performances of the series second season.  The digital compilation is now available to purchase and stream.
Included are live performances from Josh Rouse, Born Ruffians, Jackie Greene, Dressy Bessy, The Stray Birds, Chris Stamey, Jonah Tolchin, The Old Ceremony, Nathan Golub, Shilpa Ray and Darren Hanlon.
The Sawyer Sessions are one part video series, one part mobile recording lab, and one part introduction of the music group to the community. Recorded and filmed at restaurants, galleries, shops and private homes within the roughly 4.3 square miles of Hillsborough (Season Two also ventured further afield for the first “Off The Map” performance in Carrboro, NC), and named for the company’s 100-year-old office building, new episodes premiere the second Thursday of every month. To subscribe, join here.
The proceeds from this compilation will be donated to Equality NC, an organization dedicated to securing equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) North Carolinians.  Yep Roc vehemently opposes North Carolina’s new law, House Bill 2 (HB2) that bans local anti-discrimination ordinances and dictates that transgender residents use the public restrooms of their gender assigned at birth.  Yep Roc affirms the dignity and rights of the LGBTQ community and calls for the repeal of HB2.
Tracklisting:
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Jackie Greene – Light Up Your Window (Tune Your Sound USA)
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Josh Rouse – New Young (Hillsborough Wine Co.)
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Darren Hanlon – The Will of the River (Dual Supply Co.)
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The Stray Birds – Feathers & Bone (Antonia’s)
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Shilpa Ray – Burning Bride (The Baxter, Off The Map)
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The Old Ceremony – Magic Hour (Hughes Academy)
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Jonah Tolchin – Thousand Mile Night (Moorefields)
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Chris Stamey – It’s All Too Much (WHUP)
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Dressy Bessy – Lady Liberty (Daniel Boone Traders)
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Born Ruffians – Don’t Live Up (Mystery Brewing Public House)
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Nathan Golub – Sawyer Theme (Acoustic Guitar Version) (Sawyer Building)