Westchester Country Artist Enjoys Performing for Her Home Crowd
The life of a touring musician can be difficult despite the adoring crowds and the satisfaction of doing what you love.
That’s a big reason why lifelong Westchester resident Rebecca Haviland, a self-described Americana music artist with more than an inflection of country sound, makes sure she always returns home.
Last week, Haviland and her band, Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart, drove from Ashville, N.C. to Nashville to Knoxville to Warrenton, Va. to Washington, D.C. Five cities in six nights as part of a tour to promote their two latest singles, “Hideaway” and “Stone Cold Lonesome.”
On Wednesday evening, Haviland and her band mates – Todd Caldwell, Chris Anderson and Kenny Shaw – will perform in Chappaqua as part of the Town of New Castle’s summer concert series.
“We spend most of the summer driving, so it’s great to do a show only 15 minutes away,” said Haviland, who grew up in Rye Neck and Harrison. “It’s a nice comfort thing as well. We get a lot of support from The Peak (107.1 FM). They’ve been so helpful supporting local music. I think this helps excite our local fan base to appear. Our fans have always been so supportive, so it’s a good place to run out and do a show.”
The concert is part of a busy schedule Haviland has been keeping, which started in the spring. The Chappaqua performance comes less than two months after the band released “Hideaway.” They also performed another local show at Lucy’s Lounge in Pleasantville on June 20, which was sandwiched between appearances at New York City’s SOFAR Sounds the night before and the Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington the following evening. Those performances were a week before “Stone Cold Lonesome” came out.
In addition, Haviland will be recording her next album this fall.
She said “Hideaway,” which has received strong reviews, is a song that she’s been waiting to do for a while, fusing her usual Americana/country sound with an indie vibe.
“I’ve been in a bit of a nostalgic period in my life, in my career and I really wanted to create songs that for me conjured memories,” Haviland said. “While they’re specific for me, I also wanted to make sure they’re appealing to everyone to bring into the context of whatever they’re reminiscing about.”
Meanwhile, “Stone Cold Lonesome” is what she called a “check-out-the-guy-at-the-bar song.”
Those who come out for next Wednesday’s concert are also likely to hear selections from the group’s “Bright City Lights” EP from last year.
For Haviland, the granddaughter of jazz musicians who were a fixture in local and regional clubs in their day and helped familiarize her with the music scene, said being together with the same musicians for a decade has brought a cohesiveness that is not easily attainable.
“It’s really a comfort zone that we have together,” Haviland said. “It’s a thing that just grows organically because we’ve been making music together for so long.”
For more information about Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart, visit www.rebeccahaviland.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/