Rio En Medio

Rio en Medio is the nom de plume of Danielle Stech-Homsy, who sang, played ukulele, and created "soundscapes" with the help of several other musicians on her 2007 album The Bride of Dynamite. Released on Devendra Banhart's Gnomonsong label, it combined spectral indie folk-rock-oriented singer/songwriter music with unusual instrumentation and sounds not associated with the genre. Some of the lyrics were taken from literary texts by poets and writers; the wide assortment of instruments played by her accompanists included electronic percussion, cello, jew's harp, and saw. Born in New Mexico and based in New York at the time the record was released, she had begun recording songs only in secret, but her music was discovered by Banhart when he came into the apartment of CocoRosie's Sierra Casady while Casady was playing it. Banhart subsequently convinced Rio en Medio to release music through Gnomonsong, and most of the material on The Bride of Dynamite was in fact recorded on her own, without the intention of making it commercially available.