ISMAY

For Avery Hellman, the Bay Area native behind ISMAY’s unique sound, the album, DESERT PAVEMENT builds a bridge between past and present. “I create music that’s informed by older traditions and makes you feel the way old music does,” they say, “but it doesn’t sound like something you heard before.”

It evokes the landscapes and lifestyles of rural California. While writing material for the album, ISMAY found a new collaborator in Andrew Marlin, best known as a member of the progressive folk band Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange).

“With DESERT PAVEMENT, ISMAY points to a folk music that can last hundreds of years, a tradition that is essential because it helps us understand us.” – No Depression

“They trad the fertile ground of nostalgia yet never make anything sound old, dated, or retro.” – Americana Highways