Homespun minimalist quartet Town & Country was formed by guitarist/trumpeter Ben Vida, contrabassist/pianist Josh Abrams, contrabassist Liz Payne, and harmonium player Jim Dorling, all veterans of the Chicago avant-garde community. The group's self-titled debut recording was issued on the Boxmedia label in 1998; the Decoration Day EP and the sophomore full-length It All Has to Do With It followed on Thrill Jockey in mid-2000. Vida and Payne also joined forces with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and reedist Michael Colligan in Pillow. ~ Jason Ankeny