Chicago during Lollapalooza weekend is hard to characterize. The influx of artists and fans from all over the world beautifully blends into a mix of festival crowds, flashing stages, and street corners that ceaselessly hum with music. In the midst of it all, Paste Studios, in collaboration with Shure Microphones and Lettuce Entertain You, slipped into the dimly lit, surreal world of Three Dots and a Dash, a tropical bar tucked away in the River North neighborhood, where we captured an intimate session with Matt Koma from Winnetka Bowling League. The space felt like something out of a music video, with sleek bamboo décor, tropical themes mixing with the faint scent of rum, and small clusters of our festival friends and the Shure crew happily sipping cocktails, courtesy of Flecha Azul Tequila and Aspen Vodka. The room was dim, yet lively. I honestly couldn’t tell if I was part of a YouTube shoot or a James Bond set. In this intimate, eclectic environment, Koma delivered a set that masterfully showed off his songwriting chops.
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Koma opened with “America in Your 20s,” a song that immediately pulled the room into his world. The song was a vulnerable and reflective take on the quiet anxieties of aging, when hometown friends are all seemingly “dead or married”, and you can’t quite tell if the fleeting nature of life is more thrilling or scary. Played on a beautiful custom-made rubber-bridge-style guitar, the song stood out as an introspective confession that strangely fit into the unique setting we found ourselves in. The audience seated just behind him offered a unique look into how Koma’s music affected those who heard it. They were completely absorbed, nodding and leaning into the set they were experiencing.
He followed with “This Is Life,” co-written with Medium Build and Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes, which added a slightly more aggressive edge without skimping on the honest, reflective tone. The song was yet another invitation to reflect upon the sometimes uncomfortable, yet strangely unifying experiences of life and growing up. The song struck a perfect balance between deeply personal and universally relatable.
On paper, a solo pop artist playing in a tropical bar might create expectations of beachy, shallow top-40 hits of the past, but the space allowed Matt’s sharp songwriting to shine. Every note, every chord, and every word sung felt amplified by the intimacy and detail of the bar and the warmth of the audience. It was a performance that stuck in my head long after it ended.
Huge thanks to the team at Shure Microphones for supplying us with the KSM42 condenser mic that helped us bring this session to life, and to Lettuce Entertain You for partnering with Paste Studio and allowing us access to spaces like Three Dots and a Dash to capture unique moments like this. Complete with cocktails, beautiful instruments, and a healthy amount of introspection, this is not a session that you want to skip over. Keep your eyes peeled for more Paste Studio “On The Road” sessions!
