Biography
Matt "MV" Valentine, a psychedelic traveler, navigated the surges of freak folk by assembling an expansive catalog that included both his individual releases and the projects he shared with partner Erika "EE" Elder inside the fluid collective MV & EE. Drawing on Indian classical music and psychedelic folk traditions, he fused spontaneous acoustic takes with environmental field recordings, tape manipulations, and his own drifting vocals. With passing years his focus settled into a densely layered fusion of textures and genres, showcased on solo efforts such as 2019's Preserves.
Valentine grew up in upstate New York. An early attraction to experimental music took hold in high school, prompting him to start bands while still a teenager. During college he joined several endeavors, among them the experimental psych outfit the Tower Recordings in the late '90s. In the early 2000s he and Elder launched MV & EE as a core duo that simultaneously welcomed a shifting roster of contributors for both recordings and performances. The pair settled on a Vermont farm, where they devoted much of the following decade to touring and steady output of new material.
Valentine persisted with solo work and further collaborations, reportedly generating over 100 physical releases issued on cassettes, LPs, and CD-Rs through Audible Hiss, Child of Microtones, Fringes Recordings, Father Yod, Ecstatic Peace!, Qbico, and Siltbreeze. Woodsist put out his 2011 solo album What I Became, a Neil Young-meets-Royal Trux strain of psychedelic folk. Alongside a steady flow of CD-Rs and limited editions, he resurfaced in 2016 with the full-length Blazing Grace and returned in 2019 with the demented boogie rock album Preserves.
Valentine grew up in upstate New York. An early attraction to experimental music took hold in high school, prompting him to start bands while still a teenager. During college he joined several endeavors, among them the experimental psych outfit the Tower Recordings in the late '90s. In the early 2000s he and Elder launched MV & EE as a core duo that simultaneously welcomed a shifting roster of contributors for both recordings and performances. The pair settled on a Vermont farm, where they devoted much of the following decade to touring and steady output of new material.
Valentine persisted with solo work and further collaborations, reportedly generating over 100 physical releases issued on cassettes, LPs, and CD-Rs through Audible Hiss, Child of Microtones, Fringes Recordings, Father Yod, Ecstatic Peace!, Qbico, and Siltbreeze. Woodsist put out his 2011 solo album What I Became, a Neil Young-meets-Royal Trux strain of psychedelic folk. Alongside a steady flow of CD-Rs and limited editions, he resurfaced in 2016 with the full-length Blazing Grace and returned in 2019 with the demented boogie rock album Preserves.
Albums
Singles
