Seth Tiven

Co-founder of 80s college radio darlings Dumptruck, Seth Tiven got his start playing music in the New Haven and Boston indie-rock scenes. His first band, Saucers, included drummer Mark Mulcahy (Miracle Legion, Polaris) and bass player Craig Bell (Rocket From The Tombs, Bell System). Born and raised in Connecticut, Tiven received his bachelor's of arts in music in 1980 from Wesleyan University in Middletown. In 1981 he moved to Boston, and in 1983 he formed Dumptruck with Kirk Swan.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Tiven received his bachelor's of arts in music in 1980 from Wesleyan University in Middletown. In 1981 he moved to Boston, and in 1983 he formed Dumptruck with Kirk Swan. Dumptruck performed and recorded in Boston for eight years, releasing D is for Dumptruck (1984), Positively Dumptruck (1986), and For the Country (1988).

In 1991, Tiven moved to Austin, Texas, where he and his ex-wife, violinist Amy Farris, played as a duo. He also performed in a variety of bands, including Blind Willie's Johnson with singer/guitarist Mick Buck and Jean Caffeine's All-Night Truckstop. In 1995, Tiven reformed Dumptruck with an Austin lineup and released three more albums: Days of Fear (1994), Terminal (1998), and Lemmings Travel to the Sea (2001). In 2003, Rykodisc recently a collection of some of Dumptruck's best music, Haul of Fame.

Tiven's first solo album, the self-released Solitude, includes guest players Ian McLagan of Faces/Small Faces fame on piano and organ, Jimmy Ryan of Boston's Blood Oranges on mandolin, and Austin clarinetist Ben Saffer.