LONG DISTANCE SWIMMER is the brainchild project of Matt Gaydar [NY] (Glenn Echo, Louisa Stancioff) and Zack Kardon [NC] (Southern Pine, Indigo de Souza). Born out of isolation during COVID, Zack and Matt started sending off seeds of songs to each other, eventually culminating in a collage of voices and guitars, making up an album. Tapping Jack Victor and Mike Johnson of the Asheville scene and Peter Brownlee from LA, the quintet booked time at Asheville's legendary studio Drop of Sun. Their upcoming debut album is due in 2027. Autumn House is a country-inflected alternative rock band based in Carrboro, NC drawing influence from such artists as Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, and Jason Molina, as well as some of the noisier alt-rock bands of the '90s like Chapel Hill’s own Archers of Loaf. Their songs, ranging from wistful ballads to full-throated rockers, deal broadly with the ephemeral and the beauty in the mundane. Autumn House is comprised of Bob (bass) Paco Marvelli (lap steel guitar), Max Randall (guitar, vocals), and Andy Seiglie (drums, backing vocals). Loose green is an alt-folk project based in Durham, blending elements of folk, country, and rock with poetic songwriting.&nbsp;