May 2026
Celebrating Sleepy Time Vol. 4 is nearly finished and should arrive in August for my neice’s fifth birthday — a little later than usual releases in the Sleepy Time series, admittedly. Really glad to get this one finished as she and her sister Wren are the only niblings without their own Sleepy Time collections, and obviously Uncle Matt and Auntie Jen can’t let that stand.
More to come on the way!
Grrrr.
Obviously, compared to the browser-tab panic attacks and live-band maximalism of Confetti in a Coalmine and my larger, more adult-oriented discography, the Sleepy Time lullaby EP series has always set a different, more innocent tone.
In the tradition of Raffi, the songs never talk down to children and feature lush arrangements with warm, inviting production. In the tradition of Fred Rogers, and frankly indoctrination, the sensibility leans toward jazz standards and well chosen classics by Harry Nilsson, the Sherman Brothers, the Carter Family, and Harold Arlen — based on past collections.
The new songs on Volume 4 lean more toward backwoods blues, neighborhood jazz, lullabies, toy instruments, and quieter emotional weather.
Meanwhile, older recordings, live performances, and unfinished fragments from earlier eras continue resurfacing from the archive. You just never know when a live recording from 2024’s No Place anniversary tour or recent gigs with Brooklyn jam band Ace Bandage will surface with a wealth of Bandcamp codes to spare.
Work also continues slowly on Victor Relapse, a leaner and more direct follow-up to Confetti focused less on spectacle than pressure, exhaustion, and singing louder through the nonsense.
In the meantime: bookstore sets, listening-room performances, late-night overdubs, and the ongoing project of trying to share bread, music, and solidarity with our neighbors.
So, uh… thanks for stopping by?
<3 M