Small but mighty, welcome back Heather Pierson and band mate, Shawn Nadeau!
Heather Pierson is a New Hampshire based singer/songwriter, pianist, song leader, and performer with a passion for cultivating joy, both onstage and off. With a toe in each of the realms of New Orleans jazz, blues, vocal chants, instrumental piano, and folk, her multi-genre songwriting places her firmly in a category all her own, one honed by decades of diligent practice and curious exploration. Whether solo, as a duo, with her trio, or in a community sing, Heather’s live performances feature ease at the piano and her bell-tone voice that Americana Highways says ‘sounds like timeless wind moving slowly through the trees’. Each offering Heather makes from the stage is infused with happiness, honest self-reflection, and a genuine desire to connect and share from the heart.
Heather finally burst upon the national scene in 2015 after teaming up with two musicians that she met in the early days of 2010 when her life was starting over. The Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, with Shawn Nadeau on upright bass and Davy Sturtevant on, assorted strings and cornet, catapulted Heather's live performances of her deep well of original music with intricate instrumental arrangements and stirring three-part vocal harmonies. The trio’s debut EP, Still She Will Fly, was released in May 2015, and its title track was the #2 single on the Folk radio charts for the year in 2015, and three other songs were also in the Top 100 singles on Folk radio in 2015. The trio’s full-length debut, Singin’, was released in June 2017, and debuted at #1 on the Folk radio charts.
2022 saw the re-emergence of a nearly decade-long idea of Heather's - a group called The Potboilers, an immersive, collaborative, spontaneous, multi-genre musical experience whose motto is: 'Groove plus melody equals joy.’ Joining Heather’s keyboards and vocals in this project are Rafe Matregrano on guitar and vocals; and Trio-mates Shawn Nadeau on electric bass and Craig Bryan on drums. They have already garnered a diehard following in northern England and a reputation for their imaginative originals and inventive covers of artists as varied as Dolly Parton and The Allman Brothers.
Her most vibrant release yet, Back To The Light was recorded ‘live on the floor’ at Acadia Recording Company in Portland, ME with her trio mates Shawn Nadeau on bass and Craig Bryan on drums and percussion. Released in September 2024, Back To The Light pulsates throughout with the grooves of New Orleans, the beauty of Appalachia, and Sunday-go-to-meeting celebration.
Throughout her colorful career, her eclectic skill set continues to propel her onto concert hall stages and into barrooms, coffeehouses, resort hotels, living rooms, and churches. Her nearly non-stop performance schedule speaks of her tireless work ethic and endless devotion to her crafts. Defying genre and classification and yet fully embracing all musical styles, Heather is an artist who speaks the language of music in as many dialects as her abilities will allow. Her life’s work, she says, is to share her love of music and her gratitude for life with others – one song, one heart, and one mind at a time. Sharing the stage with Heather for this show will be
Shawn Nadeau on electric bass.
Check out Heather's Piano Peace:
heatherpierson.com
Clark Johnson, born in New York City, opens the show. He spent his early years in suburban New Jersey. Picking up the guitar at twelve, he never let go.
Many of his early influences were the members of the Folk Revival, including Woody Gutherie, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton. The British invasion pulled Clark into Rock and Roll, however, after seeing Muddy Waters in a club in Berkely CA, he turned his energy toward Blues and R&B. He wrapped up his college studies with a specialty in Ethnomusicology and a focus on American Blues and Jazz.
Moving to Florida, Clark was introduced to the worlds of Bluegrass and Country, and to the ACMA. He was invited to play with the
Pearl Street Band for a charity show, and he was never asked to leave. Clark's songs range from deeply personal to tongue-in-cheek rockers to haunting social commentary. He is looking forward to playing some of these for you tonight.
Tickets to the show are available at the door.
Suggested door donations:
$15/Members
$20/General admission
ACMA listening room doors open at 6:30 pm and the show begins at 7:00 pm.
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