M. Ward is a Portland, Oregon based songwriter whose music seems to occupy a place that is uniquely "out of time". A place that bridges the gaps between the roots of various American musical traditionsfolk, country, blues and rock. Armed with a guitar, harmonica, sparse percussion and a tin-pan alley-esque piano, Ward spins timeless classics that seem to flow effortlessly; simple yet eloquent tales alive with metaphor and imagery, told in a raspy, sepia-toned croon.

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Victoria Williams is a dear heart whose music feels spontaneous at its most elaborate and orchestrated, and who sounds as though she sings primarily to amuse herself without ever seeming self-absorbed. She tours regularly with her former husband Mark Olson, formerly of the band The Jayhawks, under the name of the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers; they have produced seven records, mostly of Olson's intricate compositions. Williams also plays in a band called The Thriftstore Allstars, a group of accomplished touring musicians who regularly play in Joshua Tree, CA.

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For the past five years Dan McCarthy has remained Omaha's best-kept secret, touring with Mayday, Neva Dinova, The Good Life, Orenda Fink, Maria Taylor, Bright Eyes and many others. His multi-instrumental talent can also be heard on keys for Cursive's Happy Hollow and accordion in Tilly and the Wall's Bottoms of Barrels.

With the release of McCarthy Trenching, the name of his main outfit and self-titled debut, McCarthy may have to finally forfeit his secret status.

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