The Mattoid

Known as the Mattoid, Ville Kiviniemi presents himself as a mysterious bald figure from Finland clad in a poncho, having relocated to Nashville intent on dominating the local circuit through an unusual fusion of Velvet Underground rock & roll with lounge inflections, Scandinavian throat singing, and his trademark guitar approach called "sango." In 2001 he launched the Poppy Fields Band alongside an Israeli chanteuse sharing that moniker, though the partnership dissolved by 2003 when he pursued an independent path. This led to Hello, a dozen-track set spanning grooves, ballads, and hard-edged rockers that highlighted his gruff operatic delivery alongside lyrics that remained basic yet strangely motivational. Supported by select Nashville players drawn from the Lone Official, Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminals, Lambchop, and Poppy Fields herself, he brought his punk-lounge sound to basement pubs and house parties across the country while sometimes inserting a deeply affecting rendition of Lionel Richie's "Hello." The year 2005 saw the arrival of Eternifinity, a six-song EP containing fresh compositions and a revised take on Hello's "Happiness," with the album Gloy Holy appearing as a full-length follow-up in 2008.