Powerdove
Noise-folk trio Powerdove began life as Annie Lewandowski’s solo project based in Minnesota. In 2007, Lewandowski teamed up with John Deitrich, former member of Deerhoof, and French-native Thomas Bonvalet. Lewandowski’s haunting vocals, piano, and accordion are accompanied by Deitrich on guitar and dobro, and Bonvalent’s unique blend of sounds from instruments such as the mouth organ, an amplified office bell, a six-string banjo, and even Jay bird calls. Lewandowski resides in Ithaca and is a lecturer in music at Cornell University.

The band has put out two official albums: Do You Burn in 2013 and the critically acclaimed Arrest in 2014. Decoder magazine’s Nicholas Zettel describes their newest release as “confrontational folk instruments, feedback, and percussion, producing a jumbled mess that is impossible to ignore or suppress.” Powerdove draws influences from a range of genres and decades including avant-garde, 1970s prog folk, free improvisation, and 1980s post-punk. Fusing these moments of intensity with understated acoustic instrumentation deeply engages listeners and never fails to surprise. Find their music at http://powerdove.bandcamp.com.

Matthew Carefully
Upstate New York musician Matthew Loiacono plays a plethora of instruments, including electric and acoustic guitar, voice, mandolin, banjo, and percussion. He combines these sounds for his solo project Matthew Carefully, creating gentle yet heartfelt music he classifies as bedroom pop and experimental folk. He keeps his music dynamic and exciting through adding improvised loops, pedals, and distortions to his songs. Performing both original and adapted works, he began releasing music in 2008 with Kentucky, his first EP, The Penny Riddle EP in 2009, and in 2010 and 2011 Community Balloon and The Brunswick Soundtrack. Loiacono was also a member of the five-piece band Kamikaze Hearts and the duo Rosary Bead. Community Balloon and The Brunswick Soundtrack can be found on iTunes and Spotify, with his discography available at https://matthew.bandcamp.com.

Ben Seretan
“A large, golden retriever puppy of a man who is frequently audibly delighted by the music that comes out of him,” states one of Ben Seretan’s eleven bios on his website. Seretan brings this same enthusiasm and lightheartedness to his music, which he terms “Ecstatic Joy.” Seretan was born in Costa Mesta, California, and was constantly surrounded by music. In 2010, after studying music at Wesleyan University, he moved to his current residence in Brooklyn. Since then he has released three EPs, including New Music, New Space, and New Song, and in 2014 released his first solo LP, Ben Seretan. Primarily playing electric guitar on these records, Seretan also brings along many other musician friends, helping to create a warm, rich sound. His latest album, Bowl of Plums, can be found on Spotify and iTunes, with his entire discography available at https://benseretan.bandcamp.com.

Test
Test is comprised of Skidmore College students Ryan Accardi ’20, Miles Chandler ’20, Max Hammel ’19, Adam Simon ’19, and Finley Tevlin ’19. Drawing influences from jazz, jam, folk, and psychedelic music, Test aims to transport listeners through transcendental frequencies and rhythms. As the musicians state, “Test is exactly what it sounds like: an experiment. We’re not sure what’s going to happen, but as always, in the face of the unknown—a Test is necessary.”

Adam Tinkle
Musician, performance artist, and educator Adam Tinkle does not limit himself through confining his art to a single discipline. Instead, he combines experimental sound, film, and performance through his own music and collaborations with artists and museums across the nation. Born in Portland, Maine, Tinkle studied music at Wesleyan University and the University of California, San Diego. He has performed in bands/ensembles such as The Shade and Creosota, created site-specific art pieces, and worked with a variety of other performers, and even created an award-winning play titled “A Mess of Things.” In addition to his own artistic endeavors, Tinkle is a passionate educator. As a co-founder of Universal Language Orchestra he helped elementary school children create instruments and compose music with them. In 2014, he began working as a professor at Skidmore College where he has been an extremely active member in the community; leading classes in the new documentary studies program as well collaborating with students and organizations on campus to put on events. To learn more about his various artistic and education pursuits visit his website http://www.adamtinkle.com.