"[live]...her music is filled with a near erotic intimacy: sparse, atmospheric Americana with sharp, imagistic lyrics, great guitar playing and a velvet voice." - Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph
"...a superb record called Given to Sudden Panic and Noisy Retreat, in which she wields her potent voice against a backdrop of layered guitars, keyboards and percussion that goes from tender to turbulent." - Aimsel L. Ponti, Curve Magazine
Angie’s first full-length album, is both defiant and heartfelt. Angie's smoky, hopeful lilt carries the listener through vivid landscapes and colorful stories of redemption, escape, and fantasy. She brings uniquely dark and smart lyrical imagery that separates her from her female “singer/songwriter” comparisons.
The eldest of eight siblings, she grew up in West Michigan. When she was fourteen, Mattson began to teach herself piano at a nearby resort where she worked. During high school she sang and toured with a local theater.
After school, Angie bought an old blue school bus and hit the road, selling beer and art at concerts around the Midwest. After stints working and living in North Carolina, Tokyo, and Florida, she sold nearly everything and moved onto a small sailboat. She spent a year on the boat in the West Indies. One of the few things she didn't sell was an old classical guitar given to her years earlier.
Over the course of that year, she taught herself guitar and wrote a handful of songs. As the songs spread, she found that people liked them and wanted more. She put on some make-up and moved to Los Angeles.
Once settled in L.A., Angie recorded a demo with producer Rudy Haeusermann called ‘Monarch’. The demo got the attention of her now manager Michael Hausman (Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega). Since then her music has shown up on several film and TV shows (8 Simple Rules and Joan of Arcadia).
'Given to Sudden Panic...' was produced by Nathan Larson. Nathan has worked with artists like Jeff Buckley and Joan as Police Woman and also composed scores for films like Boy's Don't Cry and High Art. The album was recorded in Sweden, New York and Los Angeles. It was released independently with Michael Hausman on Angie's label, Radio Nine Records. After the release of the record, her single 'Thank You' received over 140,000 free downloads on itunes. She then spent the spring of 2008 touring with Uh Huh Her, Melissa Ferrick, Marc Cohn and Justin Currie. In 2009 she was invited to perform at SXSW. You can also catch Mattson playing bass with critically acclaimed Los Angeles Rock band Sabrosa Purr. Angie currently resides in the industrial district of downtown Los Angeles, next to the trains and bridges that she loves.
