BIO

Since the mid-’90s, singer, songwriter, and producer FRED THOMAS has centered his life around his art, playing in countless projects, recording bands, touring consistently, and remaining immersed in music in a fully self-directed style. With an acclaimed trilogy of solo albums released with Polyvinyl (2015’s All Are Saved, 2017’s Changer, and 2018’s Aftering), Thomas aimed to compress his disparate musical leanings and the rawest of his feelings into one interlocking whole. Six years after completing that beautifully scattered sonic scrapbook, Window in the Rhythm overhauls Thomas’ self-inspectionary sound-world with an approach unlike anything he’s attempted before.

“I was named after Emily Dickinson and always felt a strong connection to her poetry,” says EMILY ROLL. “When I got older I started writing poetry of my own and later took an extensive experimental acting class and realized that making my poems three dimensional was when I really found my creative voice.”

The 3D came as spoken-word stories and poems, a form that the Ann Arbor resident has been exploring since 2012. She recently posted a large body of her work to Bandcamp and it’s surprisingly musical — and not just because she sometimes backs her words with synths and throws in a few cover tunes. Roll’s voice invites listeners into her intimate world akin to what a singer does with a ballad.

TAYLOR STOMA is a member of Nocturnal Broadcast and solo performer. based in Baton Rouge. His last performance at YWC in summer 2024 was a proper spectacle in the best sense.