Storytellers

Ari Picker is a songwriter/composer from North Carolina, he is also the driving force and general architect behind the critically-acclaimed musical group, Lost in the Trees. It was in his old bedroom in the small mill town of Bynum, NC, that Ari Picker first turned on his 4-track and started taping together his musical ideas. His song style was influenced by the folk and classical records in his mother’s old vinyl collection, while his content drew from his trying childhood and uneasy domestic situation. His music started as collages—bits of songwriting here, a string quartet there, interwoven with organic samples that he recorded around the haunting environment of that old southern town. After several minor musical successes and signing to local labels, Picker moved to Boston in search of a foundation in classical and film music from the Berklee College of Music. At Berklee, Picker founded Lost in the Trees, a chamber group that performed Picker’s fusion of classical and song writing. When Lost in the Trees released their first record, Time Taunts Me, it won national acclaim and the attention of Pitchfork, filmmakers, and MTV. Upon signing to Anti- Records (Tom Waits, Wilco, Neko Case), and releasing their next album, All Alone in an Empty House, Lost in the Trees garnered further praise, ranging from NPR to Paste Magazine. The band supported the album with two years of nearly-constant touring, which included a string of dates supporting Neko Case. Picker's work and talents extend much further beyond the context of the band. Ari has worked with charitable organizations such as Project Symphony and the JED Foundation, as well as contributed string arrangements to Big Star's Third Live. On March 20, 2012, Picker and Lost in the Trees released their stunning new album, A Church That Fits Our Needs. The record is a work of vaulting ambition, a cathedral built on loss and transformation; a tribute to Ari's late mother. The album has been met with fanatical critical response, receiving accolades from outlets as varied as the New York Times, NPR's All Things Considered, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal and beyond. Lost in the Trees performed at Jeff Mangum's ATP Festival in Minehead UK, SXSW in Austin, and sold out shows across the US. The band is gearing up for a summer full of live dates, including a benefit for the JED Foundation, an organization working to prevent suicide among college students, and a performance at Celebrate Brooklyn in New York. Picker lives in Carrboro, NC