Although inspired by the sounds of her father's music collection, including Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, an adolescent Crain took even greater solace in the music of her home state, from the rootsy Americana of Woody Guthrie to the sonic experiments of the Flaming Lips. She later enrolled at Oklahoma Baptist University, where she spent several semesters working toward a degree in English literature before registering for a semester-long songwriting retreat. Located off-campus on Martha's Vineyard, the program allowed Crain to transform herself into a songwriter with a knack for narrative storytelling. She then returned home, where unpaid student loans convinced her to pursue a career in music instead. Ramseur Records took note of Crain's work schedule, which saw her crisscrossing the country with guitar in tow, and ultimately offered her a spot on the label. The Confiscation, a mature EP featuring harmonica, tambourine, lap steel guitar, and Crain's unembellished vocals, marked her Ramseur debut in 2007. Her first full-length album, Songs in the Night, which was credited to Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers, appeared the following year. Her sophomore LP, You (Understood) was released in 2011, and the forcefully intimate, autobiographical Kid Face, her first with indie rocker John Vanderslice as producer, arrived in 2013 to widespread critical praise. Released via the Full Time Hobby label in 2015, Under Branch and Thorn and Tree also featured Vanderslice, who didn't shy away from strings and synthy sounds while Crain rawly addressed themes of the working class and sociopolitically disregarded ("the 99 percent"). ~ Andrew Leahey & Marcy Donelson