Schooner

The formation of Carrboro band Schooner seems lifted from a bad movie script, complete with serendipitous beginnings and the potential for fractured families.

In 2003, Reid Johnson and Tripp Cox went to a concert for a band that never showed; the duo stepped in to save the night. From this humble beginning as a fill-in, Schooner was born. Since then, the group has released four albums (not to mention a forthcoming EP this spring) and have become mainstays in the North Carolina music scene.

With songs that explore multiple genres, often jumping from indie rock to doo-wop to '60s psychedelia, the band has mastered its own style of upbeat pop music. Described by Johnson as "a four-track project of introspective songs," Schooner has grown to include Billy Alphin, Maria Albani and Johnson's sister, Kathryn Johnston, with Cox easing out of the band recently.

Luckily, sibling rivalry hasn't been an issue for the two bandmates.

"With a sibling relationship, you can be close enough to the person to trust what they're gonna do creatively," Johnson said. "And I also just very much respected Kathryn's musical talents."

As far as his music is concerned, Johnson has an interesting idea of what he wants, and is not afraid to get philosophical about the goal of his current project.

"I try to keep it introspective with perspective, a little tongue-in-cheek, making observations about the introspection itself and how it's influenced," he said.

But even for a band with such abstract ambitions, Johnson's tastes are a bit more grounded. He cites the Silver Jews, Mojave 3, the Magnetic Fields and even a touch of New Orleans R&B as some of the inspiration for Schooner's recent work.