Mat Davidson is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who records as
Twain, a project that's spanned experimental lo-fi and intimate indie folk. He's also known as a onetime member of
the Low Anthem and
Spirit Family Reunion.
Hailing from Franklin County, Virginia,
Davidson began recording as
Twain in the mid-2000s. He self-released the albums Sleeping Tree and Almanack before joining indie folk group
the Low Anthem in 2009 as bassist/multi-instrumentalist. Still making time for
Twain, he put out Love Is All Around in July 2010, then appeared on
the Low Anthem's 2011 LP,
Smart Flesh, before leaving the group later that year. While with
the Low Anthem, he also joined Americana outfit
Spirit Family Reunion on fiddle, leaving that band in early 2014 to refocus on
Twain.
Recorded straight to tape and mastered in analog, 2014's Life Labors in the Choir channeled blues-like rawness into wounded folk. Also released in 2014, Twain-Tone Rally-Race: Collected Recordings 2005-2008 repackaged Sleeping Tree and Almanack. Intended as a full-length in progress with demos and live performances, Sir Kitchen Boy EP followed in 2015, and Alternator EP featured all new songs in 2016.
In 2017,
Davidson signed with Austin, Texas-based Keeled Scales and toured in support of acts such as
Big Thief,
Langhorne Slim, and
the Deslondes.
Twain's label debut, Rare Feeling, arrived that October. ~ Marcy Donelson