A Michigan native who currently lives in New York, Sufjan Stevens cut his musical teeth as multi instrumentalist for the overlooked acoustic combo Marzuki for three years. Shortly following Marzuki’s untimely break he released his first solo album, 1999’s "A Sun Came", on the independent Asthmatic Kitty Records. "A Sun Came" saw Stevens playing eighteen different instruments himself, blending the conventional indie rock sound of guitar, bass and drums with sitar, oboe, flutes and a range of percussion instruments to create a dense, psychedelic experimental pop sound. Since then he's contributed tracks to a split EP titled "East" with Philadelphia’s Psalters and a pair of compilation projects, released his "How I Got Away" EP, and will be featuring work in an upcoming short film. Sufjan Stephens has been quietly building a name for himself with his melancholic, evocative songwriting and is now working with Kenny Hudson and Jason Harrod on a new project.  "My personal experiences are what inspire my writing. I mostly write when I need to get a burden off my chest (love, guilt, loss). In terms of the 'faith element' sometimes I am inspired to write about the Lord. In those cases, I am having a personal experience with Him."