The Suitcase Junket

The Suitcase Junket
Born
Matthew Lorenz
Genres
  • Indie pop
  • Folk
  • Soul
OccupationsSinger-songwriter, Musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, percussion, saxophone, violin
Years active2005-present
Websitethesuitcasejunket.com

The Suitcase Junket is the one-man recording and touring project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Lorenz. He is known for his solo performances on a setup of instruments of his own construction made from found objects,[1] and for his releases on Signature Sounds Recordings and BMG/Renew Records.[2][3]

Early Life and education

Lorenz was born in Cavendish, Vermont[4] and attended Green Mountain Union High School[5] in Chester. He studied piano, violin, and saxophone.[6] He was initially homeschooled. He attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he created his own major in instrumental music,[6] then busked in Europe for a year.

Career

Back in Amherst, Lorenz and his sister Kate Lorenz formed the band Rusty Belle with Zak Trojano.[7] Rusty Belle released six albums and EPs between 2007 and 2014.[8][9][10] Rusty Belle played on Chris Smither's 2014 album Still on the Levee.[11]

Kate collaborated with Lorenz on his solo projects as well.[12] To make a living, Lorenz worked on farms and painted houses. He began performing as The Suitcase Junket in 2005.[13] By 2009 he was making his living as a solo artist, calling his style "swamp yankee music."[6]

As The Suitcase Junket, Lorenz typically performs about 200 shows a year,[13] including at festivals such as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass,[14] Winnipeg Folk Festival, Clearwater Festival, FreshGrass Festival,[15] Philadelphia Folk Festival,[16] AmericanaFest,[17] Joshua Tree Music Festival,[18] and High Sierra Music Festival,[19] and venues including World Cafe Live,[20] The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage,[21] and Club Passim.[22]

He released his first album as The Suitcase Junket, Sever & Lift, in 2010.[23][24] His 2015 album Make Time produced the single "Twisted Fate" that was streamed more than 7 million times on Spotify, and "The Rain" from his 2016 EP Dying Star was streamed more than 11 million times there. Signature Sounds Recordings released his fourth album, 2017's Pile Driver.[15][25][26]

In 2016 Lorenz composed soundtrack music for Jedediah Berry's The Family Arcana storytelling playing-card deck.[27]

Upon the 2019 release of his album Mean Dog, Trampoline, produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos,[28] and also on Signature Sounds, NPR called him a "master of musical imagination"[1] and Blogcritics called him "one of the great lyricists of our day."[29]

His 2020 album The End Is New was released on BMG's then-new Americana label Renew Records.

In July 2026 he announced the release of his seventh album, To Go On, on Bad Chef Records/Symphonic.[30]

Visual Art

Lorenz is also a visual artist and often creates the artwork for his albums.[31]

Personal Life

Matt Lorenz lives in Western Massachusetts.[24] When not on the road, he spends time pressing cider and sugaring.[32]

His 2026 album To Go On was influenced by the loss of his sister Kate,[30] who died in 2022.[33]

Discography

[34][8][9][10]

Album Year Label Artist
To Go On 2026 Bad Chef Records/Symphonic The Suitcase Junket
The End Is New 2020 Renew Records/BMG The Suitcase Junket
Mean Dog, Trampoline 2019 Signature Sounds Recordings The Suitcase Junket
Live With Others (EP) 2018 The Suitcase Junket
Pile Driver 2017 Signature Sounds Recordings The Suitcase Junket
Dying Star (EP) 2016 The Suitcase Junket
Make Time 2015 The Suitcase Junket
Common Crow (EP) 2014 Rusty Belle
Common Courtesy 2013 Rusty Belle
Live from Easthampton 2012 Rusty Belle
Knock It Down 2011 The Suitcase Junket
Sever & Lift 2010 The Suitcase Junket
On a Full Moon Weekend 2010 Rusty Belle
Vanity Pack 2009 Rusty Belle
Rusty Belle 2007 Rusty Belle

References

  1. 1 2 Talia Schlanger; John Myers (3 April 2019). "The Suitcase Junket Is A Master Of Musical Imagination". npr.org. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Episode 184/185 - The Suitcase Junket". abovethebasement.com. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "The Suitcase Junket and Rachel Kilgour at Next Stage". The Vermont Journal. 7 July 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Chris Farnsworth (29 January 2025). "Matt Lorenz of the Suitcase Junket Is Feeling It All". Seven Days. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Boys Results". vt.milesplit.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Karen Brown (22 May 2019). "More Than Just A One-Man Band: Matt Lorenz, The Suitcase Junket, Is A Modern Troubadour". New England Public Media. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Linda Fahey (11 October 2015). "Folk Alley Presents: The Suitcase Junket, 'Earth Apple'". NPR. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Rusty Belle". music.apple.com. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Rusty Belle". discogs.com. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Rusty Belle". Spotify. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Still on the Levee". smither.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "The Much-Requested Return of "The Suitcase Junket!"". abilenebarandlounge.com. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 Sheryl Hunter (22 April 2017). "Sounds Local: One-man band, a.k.a. Suitcase Junket, on way to Shea". Greenfield Recorder. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "2016". hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 Magdalene Taylor (20 April 2017). "The Suitcase Junket, a one-man band with found objects, releasing debut (listen)". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Shaun Smith (21 July 2020). "Can't Stop the Folk". The High Note. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "First Round of AMERICANAFEST 2026 Official Showcases Revealed". americanamusic.org. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "The Suitcase Junket". Coachella Magazine. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "2019". High Sierra Music Festival. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Suitcase Junket: "Dandelion Crown" (World Cafe Version)". WXPN. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "The Suitcase Junket". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Jay Miller (8 January 2016). "Suitcase Junket, Billington Sea, The Stompers, Fat City, Muck and the Mires top music picks". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "FreshGrass Presents The Suitcase Junket". massmoca.org. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  24. 1 2 Charley Ruddell (19 November 2020). "The Suitcase Junket Rebuilds In A State Of Uncertainty On 'The End Is New'". wbur.org. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "VIDEO PREMIERE: One-Man Band The Suitcase Junket Rattles The Cage In "The Next Act"". Glide Magazine. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  26. ↑ Cindy Bowes (9 November 2018). "Basic Folk: The Suitcase Junket". Folk Alley. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Erin White (7 November 2016). "Haunted House of Cards". thetakemagazine.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  28. ↑ Adam Harris (2 February 2019). "Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing". NPR. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  29. ↑ Jon Sobel (19 March 2019). "Music Review: The Suitcase Junket – 'Mean Dog, Trampoline'". Blogcritics. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  30. 1 2 Jonathan Aird (16 July 2026). "The Suitcase Junket "One More Mile" – take that step". Americana UK. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  31. ↑ Debra Kate Schafer (25 November 2020). "The Suitcase Junket and the Exploration of Doomfolk". The Aquarian. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  32. ↑ Matt Lorenz (11 September 2017). "The Garbage Art and DIY Instruments of a Swamp Yankee". makezine.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Gen Louise Mangiaratti (8 October 2024). "'She just loved life. She loved music' Kate Lorenz's collaborators to celebrate, honor her at Stone Church". Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "The Suitcase Junket". Spotify. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
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