Heather Pierson

Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Conway, New Hampshire USA Contact

Honest, heartfelt, soulful. Winner of the 2012 New England Songwriting Contest.

Artist Information

Biography

"We were delighted to feature Heather Pierson at the second annual Listening Room Festival. The depth and delivery of her material captured many new hearts on the big stage and in the small living rooms."
-Fran Snyder, founder, ConcertsInYourHome.com

"Warm and engaging from start to finish, Heather Pierson's musical voice is fresh, original, and a delight to behold. Very highly recommended!"
-Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com

“There's a real pureness to her voice as she leads us through intimate corners of her experiences and tells stories with a Joni Mitchell kind of edge… Her hands float on and above the piano keys with the ease of a longtime player; it's as if it's as second nature as breathing.”
-Aimsel Ponti, Portland Press Herald

Heather Pierson is a multi-genre singer/songwriter, veteran performer and winner of the 2012 New England Songwriting Contest. Audiences all over the world enjoy her soulful, intimate and stirring performances with her piano, acoustic guitar and bell-tone voice in a wide variety of styles – from jazz to blues to folk – in a manner that is distinctly all her own.

Her most recent CD, "The Open Road", is a collection of her stirring solo piano compositions. It features fourteen pieces, including six Heartland Songs dedicated lovingly to the place of her birth and early childhood. She is currently working on her next CD release, "The Hard Work of Living", scheduled for a summer 2013 release, featuring her Americana/folk/roots material, including her award winner, "A Hard Man To Please".

Heather was raised on blues, jazz, soul – music that is at once both celebratory and melancholy. To define her strictly by these origins, however, is to miss the mark – she is a prolific performer, composer and songwriter in nearly every genre of music. Her wildly and beautifully varied live performances and her growing catalog of CD releases reflect this boundless creativity. New Orleans jazz, Delta blues, poignant and narrative story-songs, Native American chants, New Age instrumental piano, folk-pop – all are well within the capable grasp of this inspiring singer/songwriter and performer as she moves seamlessly from one style to the next.

Like many performing artists, Heather’s uncanny abilities were apparent from an early age. Using music as her anchor during a stormy childhood, she rose from the depths of her poor working class roots and crafted a world class approach to music – no pretense, no unnecessary frills, just honest and heartfelt music with the intention of connecting and communicating to audiences, one heart and mind at a time. Her nearly non-stop performance schedule speaks to her tireless work ethic and endless dedication to her craft.

Heather continues to dedicate her life’s work to communicating with audiences through the powerful language of music in as many dialects as her abilities will allow. It is the joy of connection to like minds and hearts, she says, that propels her art and her life. Her deeply personal and intimate performances and songwriting capture the depth and character of her heartland roots and the wildness and beauty of her current home in the mountains of northern New Hampshire.

Awards:

1st place - 2012 New England Songwriting Contest
1st place - 2012 "Singing Against Homelessness" at Simple Gifts Coffeehouse
2nd place - 2013 Broward Folk Club Songwriting Contest

Instrumentation

Heather Pierson - Vocals, keyboards, Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Hand Percussion
Shawn Nadeau - Vocals, Bass

Discography

The Open Road (2012)

Make It Mine (2010)

Between Lives (2003)

We All Have A Song (2001)

Honor The Light (2000)

Onward & Upward (1999)

Official Website

http://www.heatherpierson.com

Links

Audio

Lyrics

Video

Heather's handy dandy video press kit!

Photo Gallery

  • Heather Pierson, Singer/Songwriter

  • .

  • Live at Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, ME

  • Heather Pierson & Shawn Nadeau, live at SMAC, Brownfield, ME

  • Jeremy Dean & Heather Pierson, live at SMAC, Brownfield, ME

  • Heather & Shawn, live at Gallery Cabaret, Chicago, IL

  • Heather, live at Jazz Showcase, Chicago, IL

  • Heather, live at The Blooze, Phoenix, AZ

  • Heather, Jeremy & Shawn, live at The Little White Church, Eaton, NH

  • Live at Rebecca's Coffeehouse in San Diego, CA

  • From The Open Road photo session

    Download print quality (high-res) version (Right Click -> Save As)

Press

  • Review of Heather Pierson's "The Open Road" [+ Show ]

    The Open Road is the sixth release from pianist/composer/singer/songwriter Heather Pierson, an artis...

  • Heather Pierson's journey culminates in "Open Road" [+ Show ]

    Neoclassical pianist Heather Pierson just released her sixth CD, "The Open Road," consisting of 14 o...

  • The celebratory and melancholy sounds of Heather Pierson [+ Show ]

    Heather Pierson was born in Western America and raised on the music of the South including blues, ja...

  • Heather Pierson lives her life through music [+ Show ]

    Heather Pierson does what she always knew she would. Having just won a songwriting award this summer...

  • Pierson's latest charts course for intimate corners of life [+ Show ]

    Singer-songwriter Heather Pierson's latest CD, "Make It Mine," is home to no less than 16 songs. Ori...

  • Heather Pierson dives full time into music career [+ Show ]

    CENTER CONWAY, N.H. — At 34, Heather Pierson is the happiest she’s ever been in her life, ever since...

Setlist

Originals (partial list):

Brothers Still
Crooked Smile Girl
Did I Mention
Dust Bowl Romance
A Hard Man To Please
The Hard Work Of Living
It's Time To Go
Junkies
Let It Be So
Little Bluebird
The Love Of His Life
Make It Mine
Now All I Do
The Perfect Shade Of Green
The Road To Nowhere
Sometimes It's So Hard
Speak Wisely
Starlight
When Your Mother Grieves
Wild Child
Winter Tans
You Wouldn't Know Me Anymore


Chants (partial list):

I Am Grateful
Let It Roll Off Your Back
We All Have A Song
When I Walk


Original Instrumentals (partial list):

Edith
The Fire
Flight of Fancy
Pass The Buck
Skipping Rocks At Shoal Creek
What's The Score?


Covers (partial list):

Aces
All I Think About Is You
Autumn Leaves
Blackbird
Blue Sky
Bright Morning Stars
Come Together
Conversation
Dark As A Dungeon
Dirty No-Gooder's Blues
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Dreams
Drown In My Own Tears
For No One
For Free
Free
Give Me One Reason
Give Yourself To Love
I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister
Little Boxes
Little Green
Louisiana
Love Me Like A Man
Me
Motherless Child
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Oh Darling
River
Summertime
Tell Me Something Good
Wade In The Water
When You Say Nothing At All
Whipping Post
Willie
You Don't Know Me

Cover Instrumentals (partial list):

Ain't Misbehavin'
Blue Monk
Blues For Alice
Honeysuckle Rose
Lullaby Of Birdland
Meditation
Peace
Stolen Moments
Sweet Georgia Brown
Take Five



Basic Requirements


Calendar

DateTimeVenueCity
May 31, 2013 Friday 6:00 PM White Mountain Hotel North Conway, NH, US
Jun 1, 2013 Saturday TBA NERFA One Day Mini Conference - University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI, US
Jun 6, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM Rosa Flamingos Bethlehem, NH, US
Jun 7, 2013 Friday 9:00 PM Red Parka Steakhouse Glen, NH, US
Jun 9, 2013 Sunday 12:00 PM Gone to NOLA for a week! Oh yeah! New Orleans, LA, US
Jun 20, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM McGrath's Tavern North Conway, NH, US
Jun 21, 2013 Friday 6:00 PM White Mountain Hotel North Conway, NH, US
Jun 22, 2013 Saturday 6:00 PM White Mountain Hotel North Conway, NH, US
Jun 27, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM McGrath's Tavern North Conway, NH, US
Jun 28, 2013 Friday 8:00 PM Wolverine Grille North Conway, NH, US
Jun 29, 2013 Saturday 6:00 PM White Mountain Hotel North Conway, NH, US
Jul 4, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM Tower Hill Tavern Laconia, NH, US
Jul 5, 2013 Friday 8:00 PM Wolverine Grille North Conway, NH, US
Jul 17, 2013 Wednesday 7:00 PM Salyards Center for the Arts Conway, NH, US
Jul 18, 2013 Thursday 8:00 PM Pitman's Freight Room Laconia, NH, US
Jul 20, 2013 Saturday 12:00 PM Art In The Park Bridgton, ME, US
Jul 20, 2013 Saturday 9:00 PM Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub Glen, NH, US
Jul 21, 2013 Sunday 12:30 PM Waterford World's Fair North Waterford, ME, US
Jul 21, 2013 Sunday 7:00 PM Medallion Opera House Gorham, NH, US
Jul 27, 2013 Saturday 7:00 PM House concert. Jackson, NH, US
Jul 28, 2013 Sunday 1:00 PM Ossipee Valley Music Fest Hiram, ME, US
Jul 31, 2013 Wednesday 6:00 PM Moore Park South Paris, ME, US
Aug 2, 2013 Friday TBA Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Hillsdale, NY, US
Aug 3, 2013 Saturday TBA Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Hillsdale, NY, US
Aug 4, 2013 Sunday TBA Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Hillsdale, NY, US
Aug 6, 2013 Tuesday 6:00 PM Gorham Common Gorham, NH, US
Aug 8, 2013 Thursday 6:30 PM Andy's Old Port Pub Portland, ME, US
Aug 9, 2013 Friday 12:00 PM Congress Square Portland, ME, US
Aug 10, 2013 Saturday 6:00 PM The Soule Homestead Concert Series Middleboro, MA, US
Aug 11, 2013 Sunday 5:00 PM Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub Glen, NH, US
Aug 14, 2013 Wednesday 9:00 PM Delaney's Hole In The Wall North Conway, NH, US
Aug 22, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM McGrath's Tavern North Conway, NH, US
Aug 23, 2013 Friday 5:30 PM Private event. Rockport, ME, US
Aug 24, 2013 Saturday 2:00 PM Private event. North Conway, NH, US
Aug 25, 2013 Sunday 5:00 PM Red Parka Steakhouse Glen, NH, US
Aug 29, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM McGrath's Tavern North Conway, NH, US
Aug 31, 2013 Saturday 4:30 PM Noble House Inn House Concert Bridgton, ME, US
Sep 12, 2013 Thursday 6:30 PM Andy's Old Port Pub Portland, ME, US
Sep 19, 2013 Thursday 6:00 PM Mount Washington Hotel Bretton Woods, NH, US
Sep 22, 2013 Sunday 12:00 PM The Big E West Springfield, MA, US
Oct 2, 2013 Wednesday 1:00 PM Fryeburg Fair Fryeburg, ME, US
Oct 5, 2013 Saturday 9:00 AM Fryeburg Fair Fryeburg, ME, US
Oct 10, 2013 Thursday 6:30 PM Andy's Old Port Pub Portland, ME, US
Oct 26, 2013 Saturday 2:00 PM Private event. North Conway, NH, US
Oct 31, 2013 Thursday 9:00 PM Rosa Flamingos Bethlehem, NH, US
Nov 2, 2013 Saturday 8:00 PM Off the Common Coffeehouse Bridgewater, MA, US
Nov 7, 2013 Thursday TBA NERFA Kerhonkson, NY, US
Nov 8, 2013 Friday TBA NERFA Kerhonkson, NY, US
Nov 9, 2013 Saturday TBA NERFA Kerhonkson, NY, US
Nov 10, 2013 Sunday TBA NERFA Kerhonkson, NY, US
Nov 21, 2013 Thursday 6:30 PM Andy's Old Port Pub Portland, ME, US
Dec 6, 2013 Friday 7:30 PM Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center Fryeburg, ME, US
Dec 8, 2013 Sunday 7:00 PM First Universalist Church Norway, ME, US
Dec 12, 2013 Thursday 8:00 PM Pitman's Freight Room Laconia, NH, US
Dec 13, 2013 Friday TBA The Purple Pit Jazz club Concord, NH, US
Dec 15, 2013 Sunday 3:00 PM Medallion Opera House Gorham, NH, US
Dec 20, 2013 Friday 7:00 PM The Lily Pad Cambridge, MA, US
Dec 21, 2013 Saturday TBA Amazing Things Arts Center Framingham, MA, US
Mar 8, 2014 Saturday 7:00 PM Deer Creek Coffeehouse Darlington, MD, US