“Cold Country is the ever-immersing brainchild of songwriter and audio engineer Sean McConnell. Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, McConnell ended his would-be college career in the late-aughts to pursue music, primarily as a recording studio engineer. After booking a one-way ticket to Chicago, he quickly settled in, calling the mid-west home. McConnell soon began writing songs of his own, assembling a rotating line-up of friends and local Chicago musicians, calling the project Cold Country, after a term his Minnesota-born father used to refer to the mid-west. The songs range from dreamy to anthemic, creating an orchestral folk music that often wanders into the psychedelic. He has since self-released three EP’s, a full length, a handful of bedroom recorded tapes, and completed several DIY tours around the country. 2013’s “Missing the Muse” garnered excellent reviews from local and regional blogs, as did 2015’s “Fall EP.”