Matt Bauer grew up in Kentucky, and his music is rooted in the sounds and natural surroundings of the region. His melodies and banjo style bear the markings of traditional mountain music, bluegrass and early country, but his sound is distinctly contemporary. The lyrics live unflinchingly in the present and the arrangements draw on influences as varied as gamelan orchestras and post-rock.

His latest record The Island Moved in the Storm, centers around the story of a young woman was found dead along a dirt road near Eagle Creek, north of Georgetown, Kentucky in 1968. For thirty years, she was known only as 'Tent Girl', the name given to her by the Kentucky Post & Times Star because she'd been found wrapped in canvas resembling a tent bag. This album is a series of overlapping narratives inspired by her story as re-imagined to incorporate imagery and locales from Bauer's rural Kentucky upbringing - The places Bauer grew up in were the last places The Tent Girl, Barbara Anne Hackman Taylor, was seen before her disappearance.

Matt Bauer now lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.


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Somewhere between a lonely sea and a lifeless orange desert, alongside a railroad track, surrounded by farmland, on a slow riverbank, Dana Falconberry is writing songs. Haunting, earnest, playful songs that bravely explore the often puzzling territory of the human heart with the wisdom, compassion, and understanding of a true original. In person, as on record, Falconberry's low-key charisma and unconventional vocals will instantly capture your heart. Her down-home sincerity, nuanced folk-influenced melodies and a lyrical sense that blends classic simplicity with subtle literary finesse marks her as a surprisingly original artist. For a young songwriter, the songs on Paper Sailboat are marked by an unusually confident artistic voice.

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Natureboy, the musical project of Sara Kermanshahi, has been leaving local music fans in a state of aural bliss for the past few months. From a slew of packed Brooklyn loft shows to an intimate candle-lit performance at Bushwick's Eastern District during the neighborhood arts festival, Natureboy's fragile-yet-powerful folk and pop songs have transfixed everyone. Each song is a bittersweet slice of longing, laced with Sara's ethereal and wholly unique vocal delivery (it's hard to think of another artist who sounds quite like her), and the atmospheric instrumentation of her backing band (Cedar Apffel and Rory O'Connor). A recently recorded self-titled album is available on iTunes and you can head to the Myspace and give a listen to the poignant slow build of "Famous Sons" or the melancholic "Heart to Fool." If you like what you hear make sure to check out a show-the visceral live experience of Natureboy will only make you appreciate the music even more. --Bill Dvorak

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