Heather Perry and the Blanks

Heather Perry has performed with the Crayons, the Cheapskates, and most recently the Blanks — who are, for the most part, all the same awesome people unwilling to commit to a definitive band name. Perry, a Columbia graduate and massage therapist, sings and plays guitar, keyboard, bass — you name it — against a sound that oscillates between acoustic lullaby and sultry femme angst (with a hint of Nashville). Solo songs from her debut album Doing It For You (2007) make it into the set list, but the live shows, most recently at Sylvie's, feature newborn rock out material. SOUNDS LIKE: Sleater Kinney, Ditty Bops, Loretta Lynn, Regina Spektor. But like Emily Wiedmeyer, the band's guitarist, second vocalist, and resident egg-shaker, said at their show last week, "We'll be whatever you want us to be." Well played, pending stars.

- Elizabeth Kiefer

Music is Heather Perry's outlet.

On the title track to "Doing It For You," the singer-songwriter sounds shell-shocked, staggering about in the midst of a devastating breakup. "Ever since you been gone/I've been wasting away," she sings. "Got no light in my eyes/got no blood in my veins."

Fortunately, the Columbia College graduate, who also performs with City Electric and Trakan, has discovered numerous ways to cope. Along with the music, Perry also is an aspiring playwright (in a recent interview, the theater major noted she is writing a play in order to take her degree "in a direction that's relevant") and is heavily involved with Lucille, a female art collaborative.

But music remains the singer's first love. Perry teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music and is working on songs for a new album she hopes to record in the winter - plenty of time to develop another batch of heartbreaking tunes.
- Andy Downing

Heather Perry and the _______s may be relative newcomers to Chicago's music scene, but you'd never know it from listening to their new EP, These Appetites. Perry's unique, mature songwriting instantly creates an utterly distinctive mood. The title track's rolling piano lures the listener into her arena, guiding you towards the aural centerpiece of her one-of-a-kind voice- powerful but beautiful, sultry but understated, firm but gentle, emotive but analytical. A haunting guitar, chiming just underneath the surface, joins in. Then…a second voice in harmony, a steady drum line…and finally the song explodes dynamically into the chorus with a wash of guitar and soaring vocals, only to eventually recede again behind her supple tenor for another round.

The real depth of the songwriting becomes even more apparent with the subsequent tracks. On the single-worthy pop nonchalance of "Citysong", lyrical wit is matched with clever instrumental interplay, and Perry uses her incredible voice as an additional instrument, alternating pretty and tough with each verse and chorus while never sounding forced, while the band provides a brightly lit backdrop for her to strut on. "Nuptial Flight" showcases a classical sense for melody and arrangement while retaining enough accessibility and grit to sound unmistakably rock and roll, until the incredible coda of the track spins into an entirely different direction with a trumpet and jarring tempo distortions. The playful shuffle of "Old Friends in New Beds" perfectly brings the mood back to a simple acoustic singalong, infecting the listener like a warm cup of coffee on a sun-splashed morning. The dark, haunting vaudeville pastiche of "Grenadine" supplies the perfect climax as the release's closer, leaving the listener wanting as the curtain is suddenly dropped.

The band's understanding of dynamics cannot be underscored enough, and the sophisticated arrangements on each track are as uniquely multifaceted as Perry's songwriting suggests. However, perhaps the EP's greatest triumph is that the songs have astounding depth despite their relative brevity. They almost seem like short stories rather than chapters of a novel – each with its own characters, each with its own identity, each with its own arc – yet nonetheless unmistakably part of the same source. And although the entire release clocks in at barely 17 minutes, These Appetites has as much depth as any full-length album and hopefully suggests even greater things to come from Heather Perry and the _____s. - Matt Walters

Should be called "Heather Very." Because she is "very" awesome! - Roctober Magazine #47

The sound: Rock, indie, atmospheric

The word: These Appetites is the third release by Chicago-based singer/songwriter Heather Perry, whose two previous releases were solo albums, The Co-Fighter Blues (2005) and Doing It for You (2007). Here she retains her abstract approach to writing music and lyrics as she teams up with vocalist Emily Wiedmeyer, drummer and producer Noah Samuels, and guitarist Ben Brown. Much of the music on this EP relies on sudden shifts in rhythm and Perry’s unique ability to blend melody with two-part harmonies and layered instrumentation. This album’s best track is “Old Friends in New Beds”—a lighthearted song with Perry at her best, calling to mind a young, vulnerable Fiona Apple.

—Brent White
Demo 10 - Demo Magazine, Columbia College Chicago

THE STORY: With three CDs under her belt, Heather Perry and her band with a blank (for listeners to imagine any adjective they see fit) are making major waves on Chicago’s indie pop/folk circuit. The troupe’s scored raved reviews in the Chicago Tribune and UR Chicago and its currently on a spring tour to expand its reach beyond the Windy City.

THE SOUND: Throughout These Appetites, Perry and her players evoke the perky sensibilities of Regina Spektor, the softer side of Rilo Kiley and the angelic range of Tori Amos. Sure to sit equally well with the piano poppers as the alternative country crowd, the five track disc is a thought provoking taste test of this artist’s delightful diversity.

-Andy Argyrakis - Hear/Say: America's College Music Magazine