Heidi Muller & Bob Webb
Heidi Muller and Bob Webb perform an eclectic mix of original songs, traditional tunes and contemporary instrumentals. From Charleston, West Virginia, their shows feature Heidi's songwriting and crystalline vocals backed by both on guitar and Appalachian dulcimer, and by Bob additionally on electric cello and mandolin. Heidi was a well-known performer in the Pacific Northwest for two decades before moving back home to New Jersey, when she met Bob at a Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference. Bob’s multi-instrumental talents at accompaniment (he’s a 9-year veteran of the Mountain Stage Band) and skills as a recording engineer led to their further collaboration, and they began performing together in 2003. Heidi and Bob have appeared at the NewSong Festival, Augusta Heritage Center, Central Florida Dulcimer and Autoharp Festival, Tumbleweed Festival and Seattle Folklore Society concerts and shared the stage with Bill Staines, Robin and Linda Williams, Crooked Still, Kate Campbell, Johnsmith and Small Potatoes. They released their first CD together named Seeing Things in late 2005.
Seeing Things includes nine of Heidi’s original songs, a cover of “I Will” by Lennon-McCartney and three instrumentals that reflect a sense of place, stories and roots stretching from the Appalachians to the Pacific Northwest. “Muller’s songs express down-to-earth sentiments in lovely poetry,” writes Rich Warren of Sing Out! magazine. “She sounds like she truly loves singing and wants nothing more than to share that with you.” The Victory Review describes the new songs as “created from true heart... sweeter, deeper and more meaningful than ever.” Two tracks were written with the community of Big Ugly Creek, WV where Heidi wrote songs and collected oral histories in 2004. This resulted in a book named Patchwork Dreams, which was published in 2007. Described by Dulcimer Players’ News as “one of the dulcimer community’s best songwriters and performers”, Heidi has shared her music across the country for over 25 years, headlining at festivals including Kerrville and South Florida Folk, and opening for such artists as Nanci Griffith, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tanglefoot, Bill Staines and Jean Ritchie.
Bob Webb has played cello and guitar since childhood, and dulcimer and mandolin for over 20 years. He was a founding member of Stark Raven that became the house band for the public radio show Mountain Stage. In his years on the show, he accompanied musical stars Odetta, Tom Paxton, Shawn Colvin, Arlo Guthrie and many others. Bob is also a recording engineer and producer. He has recorded CDs for YouTube phenomenon Chris Cendana, jazz artist Ryan Kennedy, the Voodoo Katz, Comparsa, the Contrarians, Bare Bones, Jon Wikstrom and many others. He collaborated with Kate Long on the production of the 2002 radio series “In Their Own Country”, which was nominated for a Peabody Award, and the 2008 radio documentary “Kettle Bottom.” A song he recorded for Ann Savoy was included in the 2006 movie “All the King’s Men.” Bob is also known for his work with children -- he directed programming at Great Oak Farm and Creative Capers kids’ camps in WV, taught over 700 children and adults to make and play his “boximer” cardboard dulcimers and helped develop the Music Mentors program that provides music lessons to at-risk children in Charleston, WV.