Hailing from the rust belts of Wisconsin, Matthew DeChant is a performing musician on the forefront of the current traditional folk renaissance. Taking inspiration from modern trad-folk giants such as Lankum and Rhiannon Giddens, as well as genre-benders like the Dreadnoughts and Gogol Bordello, DeChant takes traditional songs from all over North America and Europe and interprets them in his own high-energy alternative style. Performing mainly on Irish bouzouki (a type of Irish folk guitar) and accordion, he performs traditional and original tunes as well as covers of folk classics.

Matthew is currently coming off his third release The Windjammer EP, a mix of original and traditional songs which explore maritime culture and Wisconsin’s local history. He has performed everywhere from street corners to college music festivals, and to quote the wise words of Goblin Band, strives to “make a space for new audiences to experience traditional music in a manner which is both riotously joyful and deeply sincere.”