Matthew Stevens
Since graduating from Berklee College of Music with the Jimi Hendrix Award in 2004, guitarist Matthew Stevens has vaulted quickly to the forefront of his jazz generation on the strength of his sideman work and musical direction. Stevens has extensively performed and recorded with leading contemporary artists including Christian Scott and Esperanza Spalding, and his recent appearance at the Art of Cool festival has left Triangle crowds eager for more. His latest release Preverbal has been called “subtle, clever jazz fusion” by The Guardian.
“Stevens is a singular talent brimming with a strong identity.” – Downbeat
The Hot at Nights
Chris Boerner (The Foreign Exchange, Freeman, Hiss Golden Messenger) on 8-string guitar, Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats, The Rosebuds, Erin McKeown) on woodwinds, and Nick Baglio (Jeanne Jolly, The Foreign Exchange) on drums & keyboards make up The Hot at Nights, a trio heavily influenced by the origins of jazz at the turn of the century, emblazoned by the raw and unbridled freedom of the 50′s and 60′s, and electrified by the external forcings of the 80′s. Their 2016 project, Cool It, collected 5 reinterpretations of songs by other bands born from the fruitful North Carolina music scene, such as Sylvan Esso, Future Islands, Hammer No More The Fingers, Bowerbirds, and Delta Rae. Their newest album Three Kids finds them venturing into new, more synth-driven territory.