Wishing Chair
Encyclopedia
Wishing Chair is an award-winning American folk
-roots
duo, consisting of Kiya Heartwood and Miriam Davidson. The band formed in 1995 and has since then released seven recordings on their own independent label, Terrakin Records. They are best known for their creative musical arrangements, dynamic stage presence, and thoughtful lyrics.
band called Radio Café with drummer Kopana Terry. The band later changed its name to Stealin Horses and was briefly signed by the Arista
label. The self-titled recording received some regional acclaim. After the label dropped the band, they released one independent recording (Mesas and Mandolins) and then dissolved. Heartwood went on to record a solo album (True Frontiers) after the breakup of Stealin Horses.
Davidson comes from a musical family and has been playing a variety of instruments for most of her life. Her father is a Jewish cantor and composer, and her mother was a music teacher. Before joining Heartwood and forming Wishing Chair, she performed with Bev Futrell and Karen Jones of the Reel World String Band in a trio known as Tall, Dark and Handsome.
, where both worked as counselors. After performing together at a faculty recital, Heartwood invited Davidson to perform on her next solo album. By the end of the recording process, the two decided to form a band together, and Singing With the Red Wolves
was released under the band name Wishing Chair.
In 2001, they met trad-folk musician Kara Barnard while performing at the National Women's Music Festival in Muncie
, Indiana
. They performed a few sets together, and due to the enthusiastic reaction of the audience, they decided to record an album. Dishpan Brigade was released two years later.
Currently, Wishing Chair performs in listening rooms, festivals, and benefits year-round across the United States and Canada.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-roots
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
duo, consisting of Kiya Heartwood and Miriam Davidson. The band formed in 1995 and has since then released seven recordings on their own independent label, Terrakin Records. They are best known for their creative musical arrangements, dynamic stage presence, and thoughtful lyrics.
Biography
Heartwood began her professional music career in a Lexington (KY)Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
band called Radio Café with drummer Kopana Terry. The band later changed its name to Stealin Horses and was briefly signed by the Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
label. The self-titled recording received some regional acclaim. After the label dropped the band, they released one independent recording (Mesas and Mandolins) and then dissolved. Heartwood went on to record a solo album (True Frontiers) after the breakup of Stealin Horses.
Davidson comes from a musical family and has been playing a variety of instruments for most of her life. Her father is a Jewish cantor and composer, and her mother was a music teacher. Before joining Heartwood and forming Wishing Chair, she performed with Bev Futrell and Karen Jones of the Reel World String Band in a trio known as Tall, Dark and Handsome.
The band
Heartwood and Davidson met at a music camp in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, where both worked as counselors. After performing together at a faculty recital, Heartwood invited Davidson to perform on her next solo album. By the end of the recording process, the two decided to form a band together, and Singing With the Red Wolves
Singing with the Red Wolves
Singing With the Red Wolves is the first independently-produced album by the band Wishing Chair. It was released in 1995 on Terrakin Records...
was released under the band name Wishing Chair.
In 2001, they met trad-folk musician Kara Barnard while performing at the National Women's Music Festival in Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. They performed a few sets together, and due to the enthusiastic reaction of the audience, they decided to record an album. Dishpan Brigade was released two years later.
Currently, Wishing Chair performs in listening rooms, festivals, and benefits year-round across the United States and Canada.
Discography
- Singing With the Red WolvesSinging with the Red WolvesSinging With the Red Wolves is the first independently-produced album by the band Wishing Chair. It was released in 1995 on Terrakin Records...
(1995) - Undisputed Country (1998)
- Ghost of Will Harbut (2000)
- Crow (2002)
- Dishpan Brigade (2003, with Kara Barnard)
- Underdog (2005)
- Folk and Roll: Live in Austin (2007)
Awards and honors
- Emerging Artist Finalist, Falcon Ridge Folk FestivalFalcon Ridge Folk FestivalThe Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival formerly held at the Long Hill Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. In 2006, the event moved to nearby Dodds Farm, just off Rt. 22, five miles north of the Rt. 22/Rt. 23 intersection in Hillsdale, on...
, 2002 - Best Overall Song & Best Mellow Song Winner, South Florida Folk FestivalSouth Florida Folk FestivalSouth Florida Folk Festival is an annual music and arts festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States sponsored by the Broward Folk Club.-External links:*...
, 2003 - Best Recording Duo/Band and Best Songwriter Winner, Outmusic, 2003
- Best New Folk CD Winner for Underdog, Just Plain Folks, 2006
- Best Roots Song Winner for "Sue Mundy," Just Plain Folks, 2006