Living Thing, the newest full-length album from Oregon-based songwriter Anna Tivel, is an arcing diveinto the existential. Written through the tumultuous eyes of 2020 and recorded in Eau Claire, WI inprofound collaboration with long-time friend and producer Shane Leonard, these are songs of struggleand aliveness expressed with great joy.“

I wrote feverishly in the strange chaos of that year, suddenly out of work and attempting to understandthe shifting human fabric, the depth of desperation, and the overwhelmingtenacity of spirit. The resultingsongs felt rhythmic and vital, with more melody and soaring chorus than I’ve explored in the past. Therewas no way and no means to gather a full band, and I brought the songs to Shane’s doorstep knowing andfully trustingthe skill and exuberance of his creative imagination. Shane stripped everything down to thestuds and we rebuilt it together, just the two of us for a month in his garage studio, Shane dreaming upeach sonic layer while I chased the lyrics to one last double chorus.”

Rocco! is the songwriting project of drummer (Shallow Alcove, Lauren Juzang, Peter Groppe), producer, and full time friend, Giulianna Iapalucci. A character coined as an alter ego, Rocco! is the suit Giulianna puts on in the morning. Drawn to the magic of songwriting from a very young age, Giulianna bought her first ever vinyl record at twelve years old, bonding her to music forever: James Taylor’s “Greatest Hits.” Her life can be mapped out by music: from growing up as a drummer in Hartford, to studying music in Upstate NY, to playing in dusty basements with her best friends. Now, she finds herself walking along the same path of artists like Pinegrove, Sadurn, and Big Thief. Her highly anticipated debut EP, ‘Big Man’, is the lovechild of these artists. Combining elements of indie folk and alt-country, Rocco!’s music lives in a world of twangy banjos, sweet melodies, and held back words.