The new solo album, threads by the California-based trombone player Mattie Barbier is a multilayered personal investigation. It was recorded in The Tank Center for Sonic Arts in Rangley, Colorado in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic.

a feeling of place. a calm space to be present in during a space of chaos. of quarantining in a very conservative place as a non-binary person where your welcomeness is tenuous. of uncertainty of where non-binaryness fits as a parent- of still being a dad? or treated as one. but also the day of chaos- of leaving a farm before the sun rises and driving deeper into the country to find a water tank. of a several hour drive through curving mountain passes and a narrow valley of cow grazing. almost being late to the session as a herd of cows was blocking the road. that literal cowboys arrived on horseback to herd them away.

threads is Mattie Barbier’s duo with the unique acoustics of The Tank, where, during the session, they learn how to relinquish the control and directness of playing solo. Shifting the ears and pace towards playing freely in a sound you cannot control but only exist within.