Heron: Instrumental collective infuses love for outdoors in music
Warren & McKean Counties | Allegheny National Forest & Surrounds of the Pennsylvania Wilds
By LaKeshia Knarr
The original and transcendent sounds of the instrumental collective known as Heron blend resonant, melodic elements with darker, more ambient tones.
These sounds come to life in the old cabin the band practices in, which also serves as the drummer’s home.
There’s a juxtaposition of traditional Pennsylvania cabin life and new age music. In a small compact room with a vaulted ceiling, complete with old wooden support beams and a mounted buck, modern songs are constructed and improvised upon. The drums and amplifiers take up a majority of the main room – yet, the space welcomes creativity and onlookers.
The band members – Ben Blick, Eric Morelli, Boyd Lewis and Nate Blick – seamlessly fall into their rehearsal routine. The creative makers are preparing for their next public rendition.
They lay a recorder in the rafters and begin kneading the next instrumental song, as lyric-less as the rest. They write, perform, play back, add to the composition, perform, play back. It’s give and take, loud and melodic.
Their love for the outdoors and passion for authenticity is reflected in the environment in which they work and draw inspiration from. And it carries over into the sounds within their songs.
TIMELY TIP
Heron recently announced that all of their music is currently available digitally on Bandcamp for free or “pay what you want.” Tune in here!
For more information about Heron, visit www.heronband.com.
*Photos used in this article were taken by Tracy Smith of Sixty Foot Films as part of the Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds – A Traveling Public Art Show, which was partly funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
