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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah

It’s an understatement to say that Heather McEntire, Jenks Miller and James Wallace have been in a few bands.

It’s an understatement to say that Heather McEntire, Jenks Miller and James Wallace have been in a few bands.  Between them, they’ve tread the waters of indie pop (Un Deux Trois), kraut-infected noise (In the Year of the Pig), soul-driven garage rock (Max Indian), and all sorts of sounds between and beyond (Horseback, Bellafae, etc).  Of late, though they’ve been wandering the old-time highways of country music, performing together as Mount Moriah.

The trio’s music may beckon to an older era, but don’t worry, these adventurous musicians infuse their own off-kilter references into the mix.  Rustic shuffles pair with ethereal vocals. Shakers and tambourines bump up against spangling guitars.  It’s country music with an eerie edge, occupying some ghostly realm where the spirits have traded mournful moans for reflective ballads and up-tempo howls.  With a record on the horizon and a few songs for preview online, Mount Moriah’s bound for the road and you can catch them playing a set at Tir na Nog on Thursday, May 20th as a part of local’s night.

And now just five contemplative questions for the head-mistress of Mount Moriah:

1. If your band were a President, who would it be?

The poorest and most likely to wear flannel.

2. You’ve played in rock, indie, and noise bands, what prompted you to explore writing more folk/country-oriented songs?

Playing punk, experimental, and loud music are certainly fulfilling creative outlets, and I feel lucky having the opportunity to passionately experience them all, including the opportunity to explore something more accessible and historically Southern, like folk and country. I grew up on a family farm and inside a mechanic shop where the country radio dial was firmly set. That, and gospel music from church, has always stuck with me. I’m interested in the challenge of creating unique narratives and melodies within a traditional folk/country format.

3. Describe your feelings toward Gillian Welch.

She is classic, reliable, and convincing. She’s not doing anything musically that hasn’t been done before, but she’s doing it really, really well. Her contribution to contemporary folk music is inarguable, important.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?

I grew up near the same town that Nina Simone learned how to play piano as a kid in – Tryon, North Carolina – and I’ve visited her tiny, bare-bones shack of a childhood home many times. It’s humbling, so powerful. I’m influenced and inspired by conviction, curiosity, devotion, faith, and conflict. Some secrets: disco, Carole King, Randy Travis.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How’d that turn out?)

When I was a kid, I expressed interest in one day being the following things:
a garbage collector, a detective, an Olympic athlete, an underwater archaeologist, a boy. I’m 28 now – musician, writer, record label co-owner, bartender – and I still have a lot of dreams left.

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Trot on over to Tir na Nog on the 20th to see Mount Moriah in action and please check in  next week to see who else will take up the challenge of facing down the five. Oh and by all means, give Heather s a high five when you see her!