Matt Kivel

Matt Kivel kicked off his music career in the indie rock scene as a member of the acclaimed band **Princeton**, hitting the road for intense national tours before calling it quits and diving into solo work around 2013. He's since dropped a bunch of introspective albums—like *Fires on the Plain*, *Janus*, *Days of Being Wild*, and more recent ones such as **bend reality ~ like a wave**, *that day, on the beach*, and his eighth solo release **Escape from L.A.**, which chronicles his first 33 years growing up in Los Angeles with vivid stories of earthquakes, 9/11 vibes, and Hollywood myths, all backed by rich production featuring over 20 collaborators including string sections and pedal steel.

These days, the LA-raised artist (now with ties to Austin) crafts reflective folk-rock tunes marked by emotive, heartfelt lyrics, a fretful falsetto, and global collabs with folks like **Bonnie “Prince” Billy**, **Fleet Foxes**' Robin Pecknold, and **Alasdair Roberts**, evolving from stark minimalism inspired by Nick Drake and Brian Eno into something more narrative and radiant. He's also reunited with Princeton lately for a new record, showing his roots run deep.