Tomas Pagan Motta

From “warm, folksy fusion of twangy acoustic guitar and slick pedal steel, laced with pulse-setting shakers,” (CAREY HODGES—DC CITY PAPER), to “demure indie-pop gone Skynyrd” (BALTIMORE CITY PAPER), the singer-songwriter with an “amazing vocal — which conjures up Tim and Jeff Buckley and somehow, Led Zeppelin,” (VICKY GREGOR— NPR), continues to merge elements into his brand of eclectic indie folk. Moving to Baltimore during the mid-2000s, he released three albums as The Petticoat Tearoom, supported by Mid-Atlantic tours. National recognition came in 2015, when his song "Up and Away" was included in NPR's Public Radio's #1 Songs of 2015 — the only unsigned artist to make the list. Songs from that album were picked up by KCRW’s Eclectic 24 and Sirius XM’s The Loft. His 2017 album made more inroads for the young artist with his song “(My My) Living A Lie,” being picked for the critically acclaimed soundtrack of Netflix’s “FLAKED” in 2017 by KCRW DJs Chris Douridas and Chris Muckley. Deciding to remain independent, he released Soul Loss Symphony in 2019. He recorded a live and unplugged album in 2020, featuring his most well-recieved songs, giving the album away for free before putting it on streaming services. He is currently recording a new album in Austin with producer John Michael Schoepf (Roky Erickson) alongside such acclaimed players as John Speice (Black Pumas / Grupo Fantasma), Dan Creamer (Shakey Graves) and Gary Newcombe (Bill Callahan). Born in southern Maryland to Puerto Rican parents, Motta was exposed to Appalachian-inspired folk, the blues and contemporary radio hitmakers at a young age. His family moved to Puerto Rico in the middle of his freshman year of high school, exposing him to reggae, ska, salsa, dancehall and Latin Rock.