Wishing Chair: Press

Sing Out!
Volume 49 #4, Winter 2006


“Kiya Heartwood and Miriam Davidson, collectively known as Wishing Chair, score again. They have a lot of important things to say in the dozen Heartwood originals on this CD. Although versatile on a variety of instruments themselves, producer Mark Hallman roped in another nine musicians to give the album variety and texture.
It ranges from pop to folk, leaning somewhat toward a more produced sound, with consistently involved performances by Heartwood and Davidson. Not only are the vocals assured, but there’s also some great guitar picking by Heartwood and banjo by Davidson. The songs range from the rigors of the road in the opening “One Real Song,” to an anti-war Civil War song with a twist, “Sue Mundy,” to a proudly defiant song about the wedding of Heartwood and Davidson, “Outlaw Wedding.” “Bully Circus” wastes no words about the travesty of our current government. “Adagio” pays homage to Vedran Smailovic, a cellist in the former Sarajevo Opera, as well as Holly Near who told Heartwood the story on which she based the song. Heartwood and Davidson have never sounded tighter or more energetic in their performance. Wising Chair just keeps getting better.”

Dirty Linen
February/March '06 #122

Wishing Chair - messages to the outlaw circus.

Kentucky-based duo Wishing Chair serves up a lively batch of original songs that follow on to two of the oldest traditions of folk music: storytelling and political broadside. The two are often interwoven, as with "Outlaw Wedding," and often set to catchy melodies as well, as in "Bully Circus," for example. The political issues are the substance, and they are handled in a variety of creative ways to deliver those messages. The project was produced by Mark Hallman, who has worked with Eliza Gilkyson. Eamon McLoughlin and Kym Warner of the Greencards are among those who back up Kiya Heartwood and Miriam Davidson, the duo who are Wishing Chair.

CD Review: Underdog Wishing Chair

Quick, name me a women folk duo. What did you come up with, The Indigo Girls; no one else? Well let me add another name to that very short list Wishing Chair. What you've never heard of them? Well guess what, until I'd heard their latest CD Underdog neither had I. And if this disc is anything to go by they've been doing just fine without us and we've been missing out on something great.

Who and what are Wishing Chair? Well in the simplest terms they are a folk-roots partnership made up of Miriam Davidson and Kiya Heartwood based out of Kentucky but seemingly touring all the time. Since 1995 they have produced seven CD's including this one, Underdog which was released in 2005.

It's easy to fall into the trap of seeing the names of two women in a folk band and steeling yourself for oh so serious songs, that young intellectual university womyn will sit around and listen to and discuss seriously deep into the night. It's perfectly possible that this could happen to Wishing Chair, but the rest of us can also enjoy their music and their songs.

It's not that I'm dissing the Indigo Girls here, it’s just that sometimes you feel like you have to belong to some sort of club or society before you're allowed to "really understand" them. It's like they've been claimed, as the exclusive preserve of one group of people while the rest of us are too insensitive to get the message.

No one is going to claim Wishing Chair as their own because this music is far too independent and frees spirited to allow it to be tied down that way. Sure Miriam and Kiya sing about political issues, and pour emotions into their material, but it feels like underneath it there is a huge amount of laughter waiting to escape.
wishing chair
Unlike so many issues oriented groups you never get the impression the Miriam and Kiya have an axe to grind or making any claims to moral superiority because of their opinions. They sing about the things they believe in and what they care about true enough, but what makes Country and Folk music interesting is when the performers can put their hearts into the song and music.

On "One Real Song" they sing about what keeps them going, on the road, in the studio, and in music. They're singing about things that anybody who has ever tried to create something that make it all worthwhile can identify with. It's about the search for the perfect written word, or the perfect picture as much as it is the search for the perfect song.

It's not often that a song about a wedding can be termed a political song, although I'm sure incidences will continue in the near future where songs about two people loving each other and being joined together, like "Outlaw Wedding" will become the norm. But I think they are going to have a hard time living up to the standards established by it. Not only does it deal with issue of same sex marriages in a subtle manner but it's also a wonderful endorsement of marriage and family.

For those of you who are supportive of the war in Afghanistan and the current administration's foreign policy, the song you are least likely to enjoy is "Bully Circus" What I found particularly appealing about this song aside from the lyrics, which are far more intelligent then usual, is the wonderful feel they have created with the music in this song.

Circus music has a very particular style, and if who ever is performing starts to distort it even slightly it begins to sound awfully sinister and makes what ever one is singing about dangerous and evil. What truly separates "Bully Circus" from other protest songs, is the singer does more then just whines about how bad the government is, but offers some idea that they can and will do something, where they are able, to make a difference.

Social responsibility shouldn't be a novelty coming from people who sing about it, but so many of them are of the 'do as I say not as I do' attitude that finding a sincere voice that just wants to do something positive is a refreshing change. There's also something about a country music protest song that is that much more effective than other genres. Maybe it's because I associate country music so much with pseudo patriotic stuff that anytime we hear someone using that genre for a protest song it becomes all the more potent for it's familiarity of style but difference of content.

Miriam Davidson and Kiya Heartwood as Wishing Chair are a revelation of both style and content. For those who like their folk music with a country twang, and their country music to be about more than cars, truck drivers, and pain Wishing Chair's new disc, Underdog is the answer to your search. Not since Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and Ferron joined together have I heard as powerful and intelligent music from a woman's folk/country group.

Posted by Richard Marcus on July 12, 2006 08:22 AM | Permalink

Engaging performances and haunting harmonies have already made the folk roots duo Wishing Chair a hit at folk festivals across the country. We know: Last year, when we failed to mention them, we received many a complaint from readers. Kiya Heartwood joined forces with the multitalented Miriam Davidson 10 years ago, and they have released six CDs since, including their collaboration with trad-grass instrumentalist Kara Barnard, Dishpan Brigade. Poetic, political lyrics, stellar vocals and an eclectic variety of instruments make this an essential addition to your contemporary folk collection.

Wishing Chair never fails to create that exhilarating sense one gets when great melodies, strong harmonies, and superb execution come together. But make no mistake: far from being tepid folkies, this gifted outfit delivers its finely-crafted songs with confidence, spirit and sass.

"Thematically , it's folk to the core ( Underdog ) with songs of history and politics both personal and global..."

Raw, emotionally-charged lyrics meet powerful instrumentation on this collection of songs from Wishing Chair. This Underdog wins!

Heralded as a modern pop-folk band, they are a folk band at heart. This is a band, and an album no less, that has so much heart it infuses the air with art, engulfing the listener in a soft blanket of wonderment, magic and notes that seem to land in the air.

Davidson makes an accordion call like the sea birds and dance like the waves. She and Heartwood have a passion about the truth, about being emotionally available to tell it. That for me, is the essence of folk music.

What an incredible evening was last Fridays Wishing Chair performance! It is unusual that you find performers who impressed and pleased everyone in attendance, but thats what happened with Wishing Chair. They combined the best of all: storytelling, great songwriting, humor, and quality musicianship. They brought banjo, accordion, guitars, and fantastic vocal harmonies into our home to the delight of every person in attendance.

...The title cut here alone, (The Ghost of Will Harbut) is worth the purchase of this CD. It is an indictment of what we have lost in the name of Progress There is not a definable style to their music other than the slightly southern accents. If there is one defining label it would be the quality songwriting by Heartwood Their record label is community-oriented, supporting respect for the earth and socially responsible business practices. Their lyrics do these purposes justice.

With same-sex marriage still the hot button issue it was at the time of the 2004 election, the LGBT music community continues to mine it as a source of musical inspiration. Green & Root’s “Marrying You” is one example. Another is “Outlaw Wedding,” by Outmusic Award-winning folk duo Wishing Chair. The song from the pair’s new album Underdog (Terrakin) celebrates the wedding with wit and wisdom.

Continuing in the political vein, “Bully Circus,” goes after the current political administration and their friends in the media all to a Klezmer beat.

I was simply amazed by the diversity of their work. I love good lyrics for thinking people; music with meat on its bones: Heartwood's "Copernicus" about growing up was brilliant. Her emotional vocabulary and musical nuances were mesmerizing.