Thursday, May 2, 2013

Straight to the heart

Sometimes on this blog I alternate between theater and music and the subject of this post are a pair of musicians who are making music in a genre that's hard to define. I love artists who can't be pigeonholed. Peter Ustinov - actor? Playwright? Noel Coward - playwright? Composer? Actor?

Rebecca Haviland and Chris Anderson are the heart of Whiskey Heart, which plays alt-country, or country-blues, or Americana, or adult contemporary - in other words, darn good music that whatever's left of the music industry can't label.

From left, Kenny Shaw, Rebecca Haviland, Chris Anderson and  Todd Caldwell 
I love their sound and the daring artistry that makes a country cover out of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog." If you know the song well enough to hear Robert Plant's vocals in your head ("Hey, hey mama, said the way you move/gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove"), then you know it's the ultimate stompin' blues-air guitar-head banger. You've gotta click here and listen to what Haviland and the boys make of it.

I interviewed Rebecca and Chris over lunch at the Hash-O-Nash Middle Eastern restaurant in Mamaroneck, N.Y. For the story, including where you might see Whiskey Heart on tour this spring and summer, click here to go to the All About Armonk (N.Y.) website.