Hammered dulcimer player Jen Powers and guitarist Matthew J Rolin began recording improvisations at home in Columbus Ohio in 2018. As Powers/Rolin Duo they've since released several albums, via labels such Feeding Tube, Astral Editions and Trouble In Mind. The couple also collaborate with other musicians together and individually, and have started booking events at laundromat/bar/concert venue Dirty Dungarees.

As Bill Meyer writes in The Wire 456: “Over time, [Powers/Rolin Duo] have added amplification, loop pedals and occasionally other musicians, but they’ve never strayed from their initial template ­– guitar and hammered dulcimer, improvising within loosely melodic parameters.”

“I haven’t composed anything in over a decade now,” says Powers, in her interview with Meyer. “I just ran away from structured music, because it didn’t do anything for me. But improvisation totally does and that keeps it fresh for me.”

This new recording took place in the musicians' spare room, where they record nearly all of their music as a duo. “It's an improvisation we named after our cat Bert”, says Powers, “who was hovering outside the door that afternoon.”

Read Bill Meyer's full interview with Jen Powers & Matthew J Rolin in The Wire 456. Subscribers can also read the article via our online magazine library.