Singer Heidi Muller To Stage Store Concert
Heidi Muller’s voice is more familiar to local radio listeners than either her face or her name.
That’s her, singing “Good Road” to open and close every broadcast of “Inland Folk” on KPBX-FM. The popular show is heard throughout the region on Northwest Public Radio, and Muller performs once or twice a year with its folk-singing host, Dan Maher.
Muller, who accompanies herself on six- and 12-string guitars and mountain dulcimer, will appear in a Street Music store concert Saturday.
The Seattle musician has a strong connection to the Inland Northwest: Her 1992 record “Cassiopeia” is dedicated “to the loyal folk music fans scattered throughout the small towns, orchards, farmland and woods of the ‘Inland Empire’ of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.”
She recalls writing the title track late one night on a road trip.
“I was driving across Eastern Washington on the way to the Palouse late at night,” she told a reporter. “The sky was incredibly huge and my imagination took over after three hours of driving.”
Another song, “Palouse Lullaby,” derives a lesson in life from the hard-working ranch families of the Palouse. Patience is required, she sings, when planting crops and building dreams.
Muller’s fans appreciate her clear, unornamented vocal style and down-to-earth songs. Her music deals with day-to-day realities, and she brings a straightforwardness to her material that resonates with people for its honesty.
A finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival songwriting competition, Muller also handpicks material from her favorite musicians. She’s an energetic promoter of folk music in the Northwest, having introduced such folk music stars as Bill Staines to the region when she was working as a promoter.
Muller has appeared in Spokane before, at the defunct Pinesong and the Columbia Music Festival.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HEIDI MULLER Location and time: Street Music, 117 N. Howard, Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 ($12 at the door), available at Street Music