While the scholastic nature of his education failed to bear fruit (he dropped out after a year), the then-18-year-old took to New York City's notoriously bohemian lower east side to complete the social side. After immersing himself in the local artist/musician scene, the young singer/songwriter began crafting his own idiosyncratic works, which relied equally on both acoustic and electronic instruments. At 22, he left New York City for the semi-wilds of Portland, OR where he dutifully transported his urban musings into a more naturalistic framework, and released his 2009 Dovecote debut, Subcontrario. ~ James Christopher Monger