[ Every day this week we’re sharing a newer artist on this year’s 25th Annual Folks Festival, leading up to the complete single-day lineup, and single-day tickets, this Friday, April 24. ]
For our third Folks Fest “newer artist” addition, we’re excited to introduce you to adventurous folk singer-songwriter Heather Maloney.
We first fell for Heather after her showcases at the Folk Alliance conference a few years ago performing with Boston quartet Darlingside. But ironically, Heather’s musical story has its origins in silence and isolation.
Though trained in opera and jazz, Heather found her true artistic voice while working for 3 years at a silent meditation retreat center, where she took vows of silence for seven to ten days at a time. “In my cottage away from the designated silent area, I just sang, and wrote, and cried. And for the first time, I felt I was using my voice in an authentic way.”
Armed with her guitar and voice, Heather began touring the Northeast, crafting songs, winning fans, signing a deal with Signature Sounds, and earning the respect of musicians like Graham Nash (who called her “Woodstock” cover “delicious, really excellent”).
Heather’s third album, “Making Me Break,” is a lush slice of progressive indie-folk produced by Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses, Avett Brothers). Check out this advance stream before the album is officially released next week.