Having been born and bred in the heartland of America (Kansas, to be exact), the appropriately monikered Major Matt Mason USA (aka Matt Roth) nonetheless bears few similarities to the "heartland rockers" associated with the region he calls home. Taking his name from a popular 1950s Mattel action figure, he relocated to New York City in 1993 after a college career spent with various math rock, post-punk, and noise rock combos, remaking himself as a master of modern urban folk and earning high marks for his clever and insightful songwriting. In 1999, drawing on the inspiration o...