Like many songwriters, Matt Bauer has a strong affinity for his home environment, which in his case is Kentucky. If you’ve previously seen or listened to him, this should have been obvious. He plays the banjo (the unofficial passport of Kentuckians), he sports an impressive beard (not exclusively Kentuckian but certainly not un-Kentuckian), and his photos more often than not show him in uninhabited, yet accessible natural settings found in midwestern states such as Kentucky. Beyond these superficial observations, however, is a poetic projection of Matt Bauer’s Kentucky that is both haunting and ethereal. His songs are considerably illustrative and personal, taking root in his understanding of Kentucky’s past and present as well as his own emotions. Although his Facebook page appropriately lists his van as his current place of residence, there is a significant part of him that lives in Kentucky and, chances are, always will.

Bauer’s mellow, almost spiritual folk sound may be better suited for a private performance in the Kentucky wilderness, but it still translates well in this session filmed at the French Pharmacie in Indianapolis, IN. It’s probably too hot to be outside in Kentucky now anyway. Performing along with Dana Falconberry, another Laundro favorite, Bauer performed “Don’t Let Me Out” from his 2008 release The Island Moved in the Storm, as well as “Blacklight Horses” and “Poplar Trees” from The Jessamine County Book of the Living, released on June 7, 2011.

Recorded and Mixed by Jeff DuPont
Filmed and Edited by Doug Fellegy
Words by Gerard Pannekoek

MP3 Downloads
Matt Bauer - Don't Let Me Out
Matt Bauer - Blacklight Horses
Matt Bauer - Poplar Trees