“…her most eccentric work yet.”
– Boston Phoenix
Chicago-based singer-songwriter Anne Heaton is set to
release her fourth album, Honeycomb, on October 16, 2012, via her
own Spill Records label. Produced by Heaton, Gary Maurer (Hem) and Mike
Denneen (Howie Day, Aimee Mann), the album features 12 songs and is organized
into two moods – euphoric and meditative – with a uniting theme of impermanence
linking them together. Two of the songs are musical adaptations of poems
by 13th-century mystic Rumi; one is an adaptation of the Catholic “Saint
Francis Prayer;” a field-recording of a conversation with her father makes an
appearance, as does a cover of Coldplay's “Viva La Vida.” Fans voted to
select Honeycomb as the album title.
“The first part you can really sing out loud to while you
dance around the house,” Heaton explains. “The second part is music you
can let wash over you while you lay down. But the ideas and feelings
expressed are very connected—the theme of being present reigns throughout. The
album is a pilgrimage toward, and a celebration of, letting go.”
Honeycomb is innovatively packaged with artwork
by graphic artist Brian Grunert that vibrantly evokes the spirit in each of the
12 songs; each song gets its own glossy artwork card which can be slotted into
the cover position based on the listener’s preference. “These songs are like
colorful landscapes, full of detail, and the images are a singular point of
focus—one cell of the song to stand for the whole,” says Heaton. “It's
kind of like in the book 'Good Night Moon.' You go from the colorful scene of
the whole bedroom and all the items in there, to the next page, where it’s just
an image of a brush on a table.”
Heaton’s gracefully vulnerable piano-based music has amassed
awards, praise from critics, fellow artists, and fans. The Washington
Post calls her songs “tender, barbed, and spiritual.” The Boston
Globe describes her music as “lush, introspective, and elegant.” Paste calls
her work “stunning.”
Heaton has toured nationally, played the Sundance Film
Festival, Lilith Fair, and has been a featured artist on theNew York Times Music
Podcast. Heaton has also played numerous times on NPR. In 2005, she won Soul
City Cafe, a national competition of live performances and online voting to
choose Jewel’s opener for her West Coast Tour. In addition to Jewel’s tour, Heaton
has also shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan, Winterbloom, Melissa Ferrick,
Hem, Chris Trapper, Jill Sobule, The Pernice Brothers, Jennifer Kimball, and
Jonatha Brooke. In a live review, the Seattle Times gushed
Heaton was “a natural performer [with] a rich, soaring voice.” Tour dates are
planned in support of Honeycomb (the tour kicked off with an
album preview show at Club Passim in Boston last week), and Heaton will be
touring in December for a series of holiday shows with the Winterbloom
collective (which also features Antje Duvekot, Meg Hutchinson, and Natalia
Zuckerman). (See tour schedule below; more dates will be confirmed.)
***A portion of all proceeds from Anne's tour this Fall
will be donated to Fundación Niños de los Andes, a non-profit
organization dedicated to the rescue, protection and rehabilitation of street
children in Bogota, Colombia (and other towns throughout the country). Anne met
many of these street children in 2008 when she visited the Fundación and had an
opportunity to hear their stories and learn about their lives. To create
awareness, Anne turned some of these stories into songs. (This project is
coming in 2014.) This organization remains close to Anne's heart, and she wants
the children to know she cares about them by donating to the
organization. Fundación Niños de los Andes helps children, who have
lived in violent and insecure conditions, to recuperate psychologically,
physically and spiritually, and to reintegrate into society. Learn more at http://ninandes.org/***
ANNE HEATON TOUR SCHEDULE:
9/15 – Chatham, NJ / The Sanctuary Concert Series
10/3 – New York, NY / Rockwood Music Hall
10/4 – Vienna, VA / Jammin Java (w/Peter Mulvey)
10/6 – Franklin, MA / Circle of Friends Coffeehouse (w/Antje
Duvekot)
10/12 – Old Saybrook, CT / Katharine Hepburn Theater
10/20 – Milwaukee, WI / Millions For Music Concert Series
11/1 – Evanston, IL / SPACE
11/6 – Indianapolis, IN / Irving Theater (w/Natalia
Zuckerman)
11/8 – 11/11 – Harbor Springs, MI / LAMB’s Retreat
Songwriter’s Workshop
11/30 – Ann Arbor, MI / The Ark (Winterbloom show)
12/1 – Chicago, IL / WFMT Folkstage Midnight Special (Winterbloom show)
12/1 – Chicago, IL / WFMT Folkstage Midnight Special (Winterbloom show)
12/2 – Chicago, IL / Old Town School of Folk Music (Winterbloom
show)
12/7 – Ann Arbor, MI / The Ark (w/Melissa Ferrick)
12/13 – Portland, ME / One Longfellow Square (Winterbloom
show)
12/14 – Boston, MA / The Oberon at The A.R.T. (Winterbloom show)
12/15 – Franklin, MA / Circle of Friends (Winterbloom show)
12/16 – Stonybrook, NY / SUNY Univ Cafe Acoustic Series (Winterbloom show)
12/21 – Vienna, VA / Jammin Java (Winterbloom show)
12/22 – Phoenixville, PA / Steel City Coffeehouse (Winterbloom show)
12/23 – New York, NY / Union Hall (Winterbloom show)
12/14 – Boston, MA / The Oberon at The A.R.T. (Winterbloom show)
12/15 – Franklin, MA / Circle of Friends (Winterbloom show)
12/16 – Stonybrook, NY / SUNY Univ Cafe Acoustic Series (Winterbloom show)
12/21 – Vienna, VA / Jammin Java (Winterbloom show)
12/22 – Phoenixville, PA / Steel City Coffeehouse (Winterbloom show)
12/23 – New York, NY / Union Hall (Winterbloom show)
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