Heather Perry and the Blanks

Artist Information

Biography

Heather Perry and the Blanks released their latest EP "HERE/" with a show at Chicago's legendary Double Door on Saturday December 12th, 2009. This follow-up to their May '09 release "These Appetites" expands on the band's penchant for creating moody soundscapes but also showcases their evolution toward a post-rock sound that carries a whole lot more swagger. The result? An indie record that requires dancing shoes AND thinking caps, sometimes simultaneously. The full-length LP "HERE/THERE" is planned for an early summer release.

The band has been "...making major waves on Chicago's indie pop/folk circuit" (Hear/Say Magazine) and tracks from both "HERE/" and "These Appetites" have been heard on WGN radio and WLUW 88.7. Perry and guitarist Ben Brown are both featured artists on Fret 12's Artist Connect website and the band has officially released the first of three music videos from their latest EP (see video section). With one Midwest tour already under their belt, Heather Perry & the Blanks are planning a second and more extensive tour in support of the "HERE/THERE" LP for summer 2010.

Instrumentation

Heather Perry - piano, bass, guitar, vocals
Emily Wiedmeyer - bass, guitar, bells, vocals
Ben Brown - guitar, trumpet
Carlos Zapata - drums
Emily Spiegel - violin, synth

Discography

HERE/THERE LP (summer 2010)
-"Pretty In Bed" played on WGN Radio 720

HERE/EP (Dec. 2009)
- "Hold Steady," "Unpainted Mouth," and "Little White Flags" played on WGN Radio 720

These Appetites (May 2009)
-"Citysong" played on WLUW 88.7

Doing It For You (2007)

The Co-Fighter Blues (2005)

Audio

• Pretty In Bed
  Listen  
• Unpainted Mouth
  Listen  
• Little White Flags
  Listen  
• Chamber Piece
  Listen  
• Hold Steady
  Listen  
• Goodnight Moon
  Listen  
• The Sea, The Sea
  Listen  
• Citysong
  Listen  
• Grenadine
  Listen  
• Doing It For You
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Pretty In Bed
• Unpainted Mouth
• Little White Flags
• Hold Steady
• Chamber Piece
• The Sea, The Sea
• Citysong
• Grenadine

Video

Official "Little White Flags" Music Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Chicago Tribune: Perry Pens Tunes of Heartbreak [+ Show ]
  

  Music is Heather Perry's outlet. On the title track to "Doing It For You," the singer-songwriter ...Music is Heather Perry's outlet.
  
  On the title track to "Doing It For You," the singer-songwriter sounds shell-shocked, staggering about in the midst of a devastating breakup. "Ever since you been gone/I've been wasting away," she sings. "Got no light in my eyes/got no blood in my veins."
  
  Fortunately, the Columbia College graduate, who also performs with City Electric and Trakan, has discovered numerous ways to cope. Along with the music, Perry also is an aspiring playwright (in a recent interview, the theater major noted she is writing a play in order to take her degree "in a direction that's relevant") and is heavily involved with Lucille, a female art collaborative.
  
  But music remains the singer's first love. Perry teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music and is working on songs for a new album she hopes to record in the winter - plenty of time to develop another batch of heartbreaking tunes.
  

• UR Chicago Reviews Heather Perry and the _____s [+ Show ]
  

  Heather Perry has performed with the Crayons, the Cheapskates, and most recently the Blanks — who ar...Heather Perry has performed with the Crayons, the Cheapskates, and most recently the Blanks — who are, for the most part, all the same awesome people unwilling to commit to a definitive band name. Perry, a Columbia graduate and massage therapist, sings and plays guitar, keyboard, bass — you name it — against a sound that oscillates between acoustic lullaby and sultry femme angst (with a hint of Nashville). Solo songs from her debut album Doing It For You (2007) make it into the set list, but the live shows, most recently at Sylvie's, feature newborn rock out material. SOUNDS LIKE: Sleater Kinney, Ditty Bops, Loretta Lynn, Regina Spektor. But like Emily Wiedmeyer, the band's guitarist, second vocalist, and resident egg-shaker, said at their show last week, "We'll be whatever you want us to be." Well played, pending stars.
  
  

• Hear/Say Magazine reviews "These Appetites" [+ Show ]
  

  THE STORY: With three CDs under her belt, Heather Perry and her band with a blank (for listeners to ...THE STORY: With three CDs under her belt, Heather Perry and her band with a blank (for listeners to imagine any adjective they see fit) are making major waves on Chicago’s indie pop/folk circuit. The troupe’s scored raved reviews in the Chicago Tribune and UR Chicago and its currently on a spring tour to expand its reach beyond the Windy City.
  
  THE SOUND: Throughout These Appetites, Perry and her players evoke the perky sensibilities of Regina Spektor, the softer side of Rilo Kiley and the angelic range of Tori Amos. Sure to sit equally well with the piano poppers as the alternative country crowd, the five track disc is a thought provoking taste test of this artist’s delightful diversity.
  
  -Andy Argyrakis

• Spade Kitty Records Press Release "These Appetites" [+ Show ]
  

  Heather Perry and the _______s may be relative newcomers to Chicago's music scene, but you'd never k...Heather Perry and the _______s may be relative newcomers to Chicago's music scene, but you'd never know it from listening to their new EP, These Appetites. Perry's unique, mature songwriting instantly creates an utterly distinctive mood. The title track's rolling piano lures the listener into her arena, guiding you towards the aural centerpiece of her one-of-a-kind voice- powerful but beautiful, sultry but understated, firm but gentle, emotive but analytical. A haunting guitar, chiming just underneath the surface, joins in. Then…a second voice in harmony, a steady drum line…and finally the song explodes dynamically into the chorus with a wash of guitar and soaring vocals, only to eventually recede again behind her supple tenor for another round.
  
  The real depth of the songwriting becomes even more apparent with the subsequent tracks. On the single-worthy pop nonchalance of "Citysong", lyrical wit is matched with clever instrumental interplay, and Perry uses her incredible voice as an additional instrument, alternating pretty and tough with each verse and chorus while never sounding forced, while the band provides a brightly lit backdrop for her to strut on. "Nuptial Flight" showcases a classical sense for melody and arrangement while retaining enough accessibility and grit to sound unmistakably rock and roll, until the incredible coda of the track spins into an entirely different direction with a trumpet and jarring tempo distortions. The playful shuffle of "Old Friends in New Beds" perfectly brings the mood back to a simple acoustic singalong, infecting the listener like a warm cup of coffee on a sun-splashed morning. The dark, haunting vaudeville pastiche of "Grenadine" supplies the perfect climax as the release's closer, leaving the listener wanting as the curtain is suddenly dropped.
  
  The band's understanding of dynamics cannot be underscored enough, and the sophisticated arrangements on each track are as uniquely multifaceted as Perry's songwriting suggests. However, perhaps the EP's greatest triumph is that the songs have astounding depth despite their relative brevity. They almost seem like short stories rather than chapters of a novel – each with its own characters, each with its own identity, each with its own arc – yet nonetheless unmistakably part of the same source. And although the entire release clocks in at barely 17 minutes, These Appetites has as much depth as any full-length album and hopefully suggests even greater things to come from Heather Perry and the _____s.

• Demo Magazine Reviews "These Appetites" [+ Show ]
  

  The sound: Rock, indie, atmospheric The word: These Appetites is the third release by Chicago-b...The sound: Rock, indie, atmospheric
  
  The word: These Appetites is the third release by Chicago-based singer/songwriter Heather Perry, whose two previous releases were solo albums, The Co-Fighter Blues (2005) and Doing It for You (2007). Here she retains her abstract approach to writing music and lyrics as she teams up with vocalist Emily Wiedmeyer, drummer and producer Noah Samuels, and guitarist Ben Brown. Much of the music on this EP relies on sudden shifts in rhythm and Perry’s unique ability to blend melody with two-part harmonies and layered instrumentation. This album’s best track is “Old Friends in New Beds”—a lighthearted song with Perry at her best, calling to mind a young, vulnerable Fiona Apple.
  
  —Brent White
  Demo 10

• Roctober Magazine Reviews "These Appetites"
  

  Should be called "Heather Very." Because she is "very" awesome!

Setlist

Set can be adjusted from 30 to 60 minutes in length and usually consists of the following originals, sometimes supplemented with a cover by one of our influences.

1. These Appetites
2. Citysong
3. Nuptial Flight
4. Old Friends in New Beds
5. Grenadine
6. Thesis
7. Doing It For You
8. Unpainted Mouth
9. The Sea, The Sea
10. Goodnight Moon
11. Hold Steady
12. Little White Flags
13. Chamber Piece
14. Wear It Out
15. Pretty In Bed


Covers have included:
1. "It's You," PJ Harvey
2. "Gigantic," Pixies
3. "He War," Cat Power
4. "Dance This Mess Around," B-52s

Basic Requirements

Calendar